


Catch a Tiger by the Toe

by dedtom91



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Crime, Bloodplay, Bottom Victor Nikiforov, Corruption, Dark Katsuki Yuuri, Dark Victor Nikiforov, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Depressed Victor Nikiforov, Detective Victor Nikiforov, Dom Katsuki Yuuri, Knifeplay, M/M, Mind Control, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Not Safe Sane and Consensual, Really dark, Rich Katsuki Yuuri, Rope Bondage, Rough Sex, Serial Killer Katsuki Yuuri, Sub Victor Nikiforov, Top Katsuki Yuuri, Unhealthy Relationships, Yuri is also a detective, murder as foreplay
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:41:18
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 4
Words: 21,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28308435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dedtom91/pseuds/dedtom91
Summary: Victor is a detective who has a simple, comforting routine. Go to work, see the worst that the city has to offer, resist the temptation to throw his annoying younger partner out of a car, and after work ends, find a bar to drink at until he forgets his own name. His routine is broken by an unforgettable night with a mysterious stranger, a brutal murder, and a string of clues that seem to lead nowhere. Victor will stop at nothing to find the killer, but what will he do when that's exactly what the killer wants?
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Victor Nikiforov & Yuri Plisetsky
Comments: 5
Kudos: 45





	1. October

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, just a warning to read the tags carefully if you haven't. While this chapter is fairly light compared to future ones, this is a dark, dark fic, and it will only get worse as it goes on. If you enjoyed it please leave kudos or comment! It let's me know that people liked it and want more chapters!

Oct. 14, 2016, 11:35 PM

Victor sighed, his face twisting into a grimace as he choked down the motor oil that passed for vodka at whatever filthy hole in the wall he’d managed to find his way into this time. Sure he could have gone to someplace nicer than this, but Yuri knew all the good spots by now, and Victor didn’t want any interruptions. The kid was learning fast, and in his better moments Victor felt pride in being the mentor of the new hotshot on the force, but this wasn’t one of his better moments. For the first few years of their partnership Yuri either didn’t know or didn’t care where Victor spent his weekends, but after the first few times Victor missed a shift on Monday morning Yuri had made a habit of pulling Victor out of bars and into bed before he could get too drunk. In the moments of clarity, before the alcohol hit his system, Victor almost appreciated Yuri’s efforts. It was nice knowing that someone cared about him, but when he felt the warm haze of drunkenness take hold of his mind he knew that he felt right at home.  


Victor didn’t want to spend another night watching old movies and talking over a new case with Yuri. If he was being honest with himself he didn’t want to watch anything or talk to anyone. What Victor wanted was to drink, to lose himself in the bottom of the glass until he doesn’t know where he is, who he is. He wants to forget what a human looks like after they’ve been taken apart by a shotgun, how it smells when a corpse has been in the sun too long, and the pain that fills a child’s eyes when they realize their mother is gone forever. He signals for another drink, and he wonders how long it will be until Yuri understands. How many years will it be until the kid starts wanting to forget too?  


A few hours into the night and Victor was drunk, very drunk. Drunk enough that, when the most beautiful man Victor had ever seen slipped into the chair next to him and asked if he could buy him a drink Victor nodded slowly. He never let people buy him drinks, they always expected something out of, but whatever it was that this man wanted, Victor didn’t think he’d mind giving it.  
“What’s your name?” The man has a soft accent, lips pulled into a warm smile as he turned to face Victor, drink in hand. 

Oct. 29, 2016, 9:35AM  


“Jesus- are we sure a human did this? It looks like a fucking bear escaped from the zoo!” Yuri grimaced as he bent down closer to the body, snapping a few photos up close before placing the camera off to the side, pulling on a pair of gloves as he started to carefully examine the body.  


“Bears don’t tend to use knives, Yuri. If you look closely you can see the wounds here were left by a blade of some kind, and another few there.” Victor leaned down next to his younger partner, pointing out a few long slices in what was left of the body. “We need to have an autopsy done, figure out whether the mutilation was done pre or post mortem, in the meantime let’s look around the scene, see if we can find anything that might help.”  


“Yeah yeah, I know the drill. I had a look around before you came here.” Yuri stood, pulled his gloves off and absentmindedly tossed them into a nearby trash can.  


“Anything interesting?” Victor followed, groaning slightly as a bolt of pain shot through his knee.  


“Yeah, over by the door, this way!” Yuri shouted the words over his shoulders, already almost halfway to the door of the warehouse they’d found the body in. It was near the docks, and the smell of blood from the corpse slowly gave way to the briny scent of fish and the ocean that clung to this side of town. The warehouse was a ratty, dilapidated thing, concrete stained and dented from years of use, a few windows shattered, and metal walls that had long since lost the battle against rust. It must have seemed nearly abandoned last night, when some poor soul had lost their life here, but it wasn’t. Workers on the morning shift had found the body and called the cops shortly after, which is how Victor had ended up spending his Saturday trying to avoid puddles of blood in a dingy warehouse on the wrong side of town. It was a simple, satisfying story, The killer had fucked up, maybe panicked, and left the body somewhere they shouldn’t have. But there was something about that line of thought that bothered Victor, something that was eating away at the back of his mind, if only he could put the pieces together.  


“You awake old man?” Yuri smirked, tapping Victor on the shoulder, the sudden touch pulling him out of his train of thought.  


Victor blinked, suddenly aware of the light streaming through the open doorway, and of the young man standing in front of it. “Yeah, sorry. I was just thinking some things through…”  


“Well before you get too invested in a theory you’ll want to see this.” Yuri pulled Victor closer to the door, pointing out a few streaks of dark red and a few bits of clothing torn off on the metal doorframe. “They didn’t kill here, the body got moved from somewhere else.”  


Victor slowly nodded, following Yuri out the door “You can see more blood here, and some more closer to the road.” Yuri points out a few more splotches of red leading up to the doorway. “Must have panicked and tried to stash the body someplace he thought it wouldn’t be found.”  


“No…” Victor looked blankly back at the warehouse, the ruined form of the body lined up perfectly with the door.  


“No? This proves that the murder happened off site!”  


“The murder may have happened off site, but the killer wasn’t trying to hide the body- he wanted it to be found.” Victor spoke slowly, still staring back through the old door frame.  


“What makes you think that?” Yuri shoved his hands in his pockets, grimacing slightly at the cold.  


“If they wanted to hide the body why not just dump it in the bay? And why bother carrying it all the way to the opposite wall?”  


“Panic maybe? First time killer making a bad decision?”  


“You think someone who was panicking would have time to rip a corpse up? Paint the walls like that?” Victor felt his breath hitch as he traced his view up the side of the building, a small security camera hidden under the roof coming into view.  


“I guess not, but I don’t see how that proves-”  


“Who owns this building?” Victor slowly paced towards the building, noticing a red light blinking next to the camera’s lens.  


“I’m not sure, why do you need to know?” Yuri looked up, following Victor’s gaze “Fuck- why didn’t they tell us they had a security camera?”  


“That’s what I want to find out. Go talk to the manager of this place- get info on the company and access to the security tape. I’ll follow the body back to the morgue and observe the autopsy. Think you can handle an interview? I know they’re not fully in your specialty”  


Yuri let out a sharp exhale, looking up at Victor, eyes flashing “Of course, I’m not a cadet anymore.”  


“Good, call me when you’re done, we’ll meet up in a few hours to talk things over.” Victor finally turns his back on the warehouse, climbing into his car for the trip to the morgue.

Oct. 14, 2016, 11:42 PM

“My name’s V-Victor, whadabout you?” Victor smiled sloppily, trying his best to keep his composure, still stumbling over a few words, which made the man giggle.  


“Yuuri Katsuki-” Yuuri’s words were interrupted by a shaky laugh from Victor.  


“Katsuki? Like the company that made my TV?” Victor smiled, relaxing as he drank deeply from his glass, some sweet cocktail that Yuuri had ordered for him.  


“I see you’ve heard of my families’ little business then…” Yuuri ordered another drink for Victor, still taking small sips of his. “I can’t pretend I have much to do with it, I’m only in the city for college.”  


“Which college? There’s gotta be a thousand in this fuckin’ city”  


“Northeastern, for business.”  


“If you’re smart enough to get into a school like that then what are you doing at a place like this?” Victor motioned to the bar around them, paint peeling off the walls.  
Yuuri shrugs, staring down into his drink. He swirled it, brown eyes fixed on the colorful cocktail before he took a careful sip, sighing. “Because it’s bullshit- all of it. My family wants me to be someone I’m not, and sometimes I just want to go somewhere I don’t have to worry about being judged.”  


“Trust me, I’m not gonna judge you.” Victor drank deeply, face flushing red as his eyes met Yuuri’s. Victor wasn’t very experienced when it came to romance, it was perhaps the only area where describing him as naive would be anything other than a cruel joke, but he was almost certain that the way Yuuri was looking at him wasn’t meant to be an invitation to a night of stimulating conversation.  


“Good, because between you and me, I’m tired of hearing that what I want is wrong.” Yuuri winked, that same calm smile still filling his face as he traced a hand up Victor’s thigh. Things were moving fast, really really fast, but Victor was too drunk to care, and all he wanted right now was another way to forget.  


Victor just nodded, swallowing as he felt Yuuri’s touch grow more firm and demanding, the man raised an eyebrow, and Victor forced a smile. “W-what is it that you want?”  


“Oh Victor, I want so many things that I can’t even begin to tell you, but for tonight… I want you.” Victor opened his mouth to respond, but before he could his words were cut off by Yuuri’s lips being pressed against his. He tasted sweet, the cocktail he’d been sipping almost covering up the scent of booze that mingled between the two of them. It’s a taste that Victor savored, and one that he knows he’ll be trying to wash out of his mouth tomorrow morning.  


“Wanna go back to my place?” Victor mumbled pulling slightly away from the kiss to look into Yuuri’s eyes again.  


“So soon? You’re eager…” Yuuri smirked, his hands still slowly exploring Victor’s body. Victor simply nodded, standing up from the bar. He watched as Yuuri pulled a few bills out of his almost overflowing wallet and tossed them on the bar. Yuuri smiled brightly, taking Victor’s hand.  


“Your place or mine?” Yuuri asked, a teasing glint filling his eye.  


“M-mine, it’s close by.” Victor regretted the words as soon as he said them. Letting someone into his house felt too intimate, a personal wall that he wouldn’t normally want to push at. If it was at Yuuri’s house he could make sure he left before the next morning, make sure that he didn’t leave a number, a note, or any expectations in his wake. But he’d spoken up, and now he had to take the risk that Yuuri would make some attempt at future contact.  


As they stepped out into the street Victor was hit by the cold. Even early in October, the nights got freezing, and he couldn’t suppress the shiver that ran down his back as his eyes began to water from the harsh wind coming off the bay. He led Yuuri through the backstreets, past the pawn shops, bars and shuttered family businesses that surrounded his meagre apartment. He felt Yuuri pull close to him, whether for warmth or protection he wasn’t sure, but whatever it was the younger man was looking for, Victor is almost certain he won’t find it with him.  


The apartment was messy, empty bottles of alcohol and stacks of files from old cases had built up on almost every available surface. Yuri always threatened to throw Victor’s things into a dumpster someday, but the kid could barely keep his own desk neat, let alone a whole apartment. Victor looked over to Yuuri and yet again felt a pang of regret for not asking him if they could go to his place. Victor couldn’t blame him if he took one look at the trainwreck that was this apartment and turned around to find some different company to spend the night with, but as soon as Victor started to open his mouth in an attempt to apologize and salvage what he could out of the evening he was interrupted as Yuuri’s lips met his in a deep kiss.  


“You’re so beautiful Vitya” Yuuri purred as he pushed Victor up against the wall, hands already beginning to explore the taller man’s body. Victor kissed back, slowly at first and then with more passion, Thoughts of work, responsibility, anything outside of the current moment flew from his mind, leaving only Yuuri in their wake. 

Oct. 29, 2016 1:35 PM

Victor stood outside of the morgue, the last remnants of his second cigarette starting to burn his fingertips. He let out a sigh, dropped the butt and snuffed it out with the heel of one scuffed up shoe. Yuri was late, not that Victor had much new information to pass on. The body had been mutilated, ripped apart with knives to the point that any kind of traditional identification was impossible, but at least they’d figured out most of the mutilation was post mortem, which answered one question. Victor had been told it would be a short time before the data from the dental records gave them any sort of identification of the victim, which meant that, unless Yuri found some very incriminating evidence through the interviews, then their investigation would be stalled for the time being.  
Just as Victor was starting to worry that Yuri had gotten himself into trouble again, he saw the younger detective’s car pull up outside the station, loud music shaking the windows of the rundown vehicle as it skidded to a halt, a window rolling down.  


“Get in, old man, we’re going to get lunch at the diner” Yuri was forced to raise his voice to be heard over the music, and Victor rolled his eyes as he climbed into the passenger’s seat, immediately flicking off the radio.  


“What’d you do that for?” Yuri hisses as he slammed on the gas, the old car groaned as it jerked to life, speeding out of the parking lot.  


“Your music is annoying, and we need to talk on the way. What did you find out?”  


“I didn’t learn shit from them, they told me that something was wrong with the system, that the cameras had been down for a week.”  


“A whole week? They didn’t bother fixing it?”  


“You saw the state of the place when we were there, it’s a mess, it doesn’t surprise me that they’d leave something like that broken for a couple days.”  


“Sure, but having no security for a week in that part of town... something just doesn’t feel quite right about it”  


“Whether or not it feels off to you, we’re not investigating the mystery of some warehouse’s shitty management, we’re trying to find out who ripped that person apart.”  


Victor gritted his teeth, already growing impatient with Yuri. Talking to his co-worker often felt like smashing his head against a brick wall, and he usually had the headache to show for it afterwards. 

“I understand that Yuri, but I hope you can appreciate that I’m not so willing to pass up what could be a crucial piece of evidence just because they claim their system was broken.”  


“What do you expect me to do? Break in there after hours? Find some computer genius hack into their system to see if they were lying or not?”  


“Just- go back and inspect the cameras and wiring, maybe ask some of the other employees.” Victor rubbed his temple, he already felt like he needed a drink, and it wasn’t even 2 yet.  


“Sure- and while I’m off chasing ghosts the killer could be in another country by now. We don’t have the time to waste, Nikiforov, and even if we did, what makes you think the managers were lying to us? He really didn’t seem like the type of guy who was expecting a body to be there when he got to work this morning.”  


“Just do it Yuri, we don’t have much else we can do until the lab identifies the body”  


“Not surprising, it was in pretty bad shape, I just hope it wasn’t too painful an end.” Yuri’s eyes narrowed as he slammed the breaks, skidding to a halt at a red light. “I can’t wait until I get to lay eyes on the bastard who did this.”  


“Don’t get emotional Yuri, you need to keep your mind clear. Emotions just get in the way of thinking things through properly.”  
The car roared back to life, speeding across the intersection, the rough surface causing the windows to rattle. “Oh fuck off with that, the only reason you don’t feel anything is because you drink enough booze to kill a horse every night after work. I’d rather feel something than drown myself in the bottom of a glass.”  
Victor opened his mouth to speak but decided to leave things be, staying silent as Yuri deftly navigated the winding streets. After a few minutes of silence Yuri turned the radio back on, the same annoying club music he’d been blasting in the parking lot. Victor looked out the window at the city flashing by and let his mind wander. Victor often found it hard to believe that everyone in this city, all the faces in the endless mass of humanity had their own lives, their own stories. Last night two stories had intersected, and one had received a brutal ending. The trick was, right now he didn’t know either of the stories, but learning about the victim would quickly illuminate one half of the tangled knot.  


Humans don’t often enjoy killing their own kind, especially not when the risk of getting caught is so high. Murders almost always have a motive, some part of the story that sets it on the path to it’s bloody conclusion. All Victor had to do now was find that event, whatever argument, mistake, or malicious action that had pissed someone off bad enough to turn their body into a pile of meat, and wipe blood across the walls like he was making a fucking painting. Something like that shouldn’t be hard to find, after all it’s not easy to piss someone off that much. 

Oct. 17, 2016 6:45 PM 

Yuuri was angry. Not the kind of anger that flashed through him when his professor talked down to him, or the other students at the university started rambling about some inane topic. That anger burned hot and fast, sending images through his mind of ripping the cause of the frustration apart, but it always died out before he could even begin to formulate a plan to get away with something like that. No, this was the kind of anger that grew slowly, burning like hot magma through his veins until every movement felt charged with purpose.  


The cause of his current state was Victor, the beautiful man who had swept him off his feet, given him a night he’d never forget, stolen his heart, and now couldn’t be bothered to answer his texts. Sure Victor had been a little drunk, but Yuuri was sure that Victor had looked just as entranced as he had, so why was he being so elusive?  


Yuuri stood, stretching as he paced around his apartment, an oversized penthouse with large windows overlooking the city. The furniture was all dark hardwood, polished to a bright sheen and perfectly arranged to fit the open space. The kitchen was connected to the living room, where Yuuri had been sitting on an overstuffed leather couch, and splitting off from this large room were a few bedrooms, a bathroom and an office. Yuuri knew that a place like this was too large and too ostentatious for a single college student, but. in his opinion, if his parents were going to send him off to America setting him up here was the least they could do.  


As Yuuri walked slowly around the large space he kept trying to think things through, playing back the time they spent together, combing his memory for any hints of regret on Victor’s part, but try as he might he couldn’t find any. Despite his misgivings, Yuuri had known from the moment their lips met that Victor loved him, just as he had loved Victor from the moment he had laid eyes on the Russian. But if Victor felt that way, why was he playing so hard to get?  


Yuuri groaned as he carefully looked over the knife block placed atop the immaculately polished counter in the kitchen. Relationships were hard, especially when one's boyfriend was being so immensely rude, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t worth trying to put in the effort to work things out. Suddenly Yuuri paused, mind coming to a realization. It was all so clear, Victor wasn’t ignoring him out of malice, Victor just wanted him to prove his dedication.  


The Japanese man smiled, eyes fluttering shut as he began to imagine the scene that he would paint for Victor. He knew Victor’s job and where he worked, so he’d be able to leave his present in a place he could be sure that his love would see it. He couldn’t help but smile at the thought, Victor would be so pleased when he saw it that he’d have no choice but to come running back into Yuuri’s arms. 

Oct. 30 7:30 AM 

Victor groaned, the sound of his phone ringing rousing him from what little sleep he’d managed to squeeze out of the previous night. He’d tried everything, booze, tea, reading, even counting fucking sheep, but everytime he closed his eyes he just saw the body again. He wasn’t usually one to be affected like this, he’d been on plenty cases in his time and he usually didn’t get called in unless something bad had happened to someone, but the state of that body had bothered him more than most. It wasn’t just the mutilation, it was the intentionality of it all. It didn’t look like some drunk getting carried away in the heat of the moment, it was almost like the killer was trying to create some grotesque work of art. But if that is the case, what could possibly be the purpose? The only reason to do something like that would be to send a message, but who was the message supposed to be to? The barrage of noise from his phone quickly brushed away his thoughts, with all his brain power now being dedicated to the arduous task of getting out of bed so he could pick up the phone.  


After he had untangled himself from the sheet and forced himself out of the protection offered by his warm mound of blankets, Victor scooped up the phone, voice thin and dry as he spoke. “Hello, you’ve reached Victor Nikiforov, how can I help you?”  


“Hi Victor! It’s Mila from the autopsy team!” The voice on the other end of the phone was bright, cheerful, not the kind of somber detachment Victor had grown to expect from those who dealt with corpses, “I was just calling to let you know we’ve finished identifying the body, we have a report ready for whenever you can come in.”  


“Thanks Mila, I’ll be in as fast as I can to pick that up.”  


“Thank you detective, we appreciate that.”  


“Of course, be there soon, bye.” Victor hung up the phone, a name in his contacts catching his eyes as he thumbed through his recent texts. Yuuri- the guy he’d hooked up with a few weeks ago. He’d meant to respond, but he’d gotten caught up with work, and really hadn’t had time to see anyone even if they were texting back and forth. He wasn’t any less busy now, but with the way this case had been going so far, Victor had a feeling that having someone other than Yuri to talk to would be nice, and more sex couldn’t hurt either.  


Victor paused, wondering if it was best to just leave things be. After all it had been almost two weeks since Yuuri had texted, and he’d be totally within his rights to be pissed off about Victor’s response time. But despite his misgivings he found himself typing out a short text. The worst that happens is Yuuri ends up being pissed and Victor blocks him.  


-Hey Yuuri! Sorry for the long delay, work ended up being really crazy this month. But I’d love to see you again, if you’d want to see me that is. Sorry again.  


Victor frowned as he read over the text, his excuse sounded fake written out like that, and if he was being honest with himself it half was. It wasn’t that he hadn’t enjoyed his time with Yuuri, quite the opposite. The sex was wonderful, the best he’d had in a long time, and Yuuri seemed like a nice guy, the kind of person he could see himself being with long term. But maybe that was why he’d hesitated in reaching out, because why would someone like that want someone like him? Who was he to ask some beautiful, wealthy college student if he wanted to date a washed up, alcoholic cop?  


Victor walked over to the shower, the warm water slowly washing away the thoughts of Yuuri. No matter how things turned out with him, the important thing right now was the case, and the identification of the victim was the first step in moving forward. He didn’t bother washing his hair or ironing his uniform, it’s not like he was trying to impress anyone this early in the morning. Victor knew he was attractive, and when he took the effort to pick out an outfit, style his hair, and keep sober he’d been told that he was quite stunning, but the older he got the more and more the energy to put in that kind of effort for something like physical appearance seemed to elude him. He’d make sure that he was presentable enough to interview suspects and avoid a lecture from his boss, but he wouldn’t go through whatever 40 step ritual Yuri did after waking up that left him glowing whenever he stepped into the office. 

Oct. 30 8:10 AM

Victor yawned as he stepped into the station, plodding over to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee in hand before he went to his desk to look over the results of the dental records. The kitchen was small and the lights flickered every couple minutes, the dull light almost hiding the stains that had built up on almost every surface. Whoever had been here before him hadn’t had the courtesy to make a new pot after draining the last one, so it fell to Victor to brew one.  


He sat back in the small plastic chair, rubbing his eyes as the ancient machine groaned to life, the small room filling with the familiar sounds of a fresh batch being made. The sound must have attracted someone’s attention, because Victor heard soft footsteps coming in the door to his left.  


“Mon cherie- you know I love you more than anything, but even I have to admit that you look just awful today” Victor smiled, Christophe was a forensic analyst, and quite a good one. He’d worked on several cases with Victor over the years, only being supplanted by Yuri when the younger man had begged Victor to mentor him. Victor found himself questioning his decision to work with the temperamental rookie instead of his best friend at least twice every week, but he had a broader skill set than Chris, able to supplement his analysis with more standard detective work, and that had been invaluable to Victor in the last few cases.  


“Yeah yeah- got called in early today so I didn’t have time to get dolled up.”  


“You don’t have to get dolled up, but maybe hang your clothing up instead of balling it up on the floor until the wrinkles get wrinkles.” Chris chuckled, his tone light and airy.  


“Not all of us can be as beautiful as you Chris, and besides, the worse I look the better you seem by comparaison.” Victor smiled back, walking over to the machine as it’s long cycle began to end, pouring himself a tall cup of the steaming hot coffee.  


“I’d just rather my friends not look like they just got out of the drunk tank.” Chris held out his mug, allowing Victor to pour him some, stopping the Russian a ways from the top. “Leave some room Vitya, I don’t plan to drink this toilet water black.”  


“Don’t you usually bring your own anyways?” Victor blew on the hot beverage, he knew the measure would be ultimately futile, but force of habit was strong. He finally took a sip, scalding his tongue, the machine always made it too damn hot.  


“Usually I would, but today is a special exception, I got called in late last night, some wealthy family had their kid taken, they said they wanted the best on the case and they got me.” Chris’ voice lost some of its usual brightness as the topic changed to work, the exhaustion apparent through that, even if his appearance barely showed it.  


“Any progress so far?” Victor raised an eyebrow, watching as Chris began pouring creamer and sugar into his drink.  


“Not much, but between you and me I don’t know why they called us in. It’ll only be a day or two until they get the ransom note, and they can definitely pay whatever those scumbags ask for.”  


“Yeah yeah, but it’s better if we don’t make kidnapping too lucrative a business around here.”  


“Maybe if it did we’d get a bit more traffic, then I’d finally be able to get a raise.” Chris smiled before retrieving his cup. “I gotta get back to my desk, but we’ll go out for drinks sometime, once things calm down a bit.”  


“Just give me a time and place and I’ll be there.”  


“You forgot the four reminder texts I have to send you.” Chris said over his shoulder as he walked out of the kitchen, leaving Victor to throw away the sugar packets and creamer he left strewn across the counter.  


After a few minutes of playing janitor Victor was finally able to get over to his desk, sitting down and opening the report that had been left there. As soon as he turned to the first page he felt his heart sink, the warmth that the coffee had filled him with replaced with a cold dread. The victim wasn’t just some unlucky stranger, it was Victor’s neighbor- and he was starting to feel that whatever message the killer was trying to send was addressed to him.


	2. November

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor and Yuuri go on a date, and the investigation reaches a standstill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Sorry for the long wait, I had to move back to school so that interrupted things a bit, and the finale should be out much sooner! Just a quick content warning, there's a fairly graphic scene of a dog being killed, and if that's something you'd rather skip then just stop reading when you get to the words in bold, and pick up again when it says "Nov. 1 2016, 10:48 PM"

Nov. 4, 2016, 7:30 PM

When Yuuri laughed, Victor felt a warmth rise in his chest that he hadn’t felt for years. It wasn’t just the sound, as adorable as it may be, but there was something the way he relaxed after, a slight blush filling his cheeks, that made Victor feel like the luckiest man on earth. As Victor looked at Yuuri he didn’t see a threat, a hookup, or a suspect, he just saw a man that he wanted to spend time with, and fuck, after all these years of those being the only types of strangers Victor met, it was refreshing to find someone who seemed to be happy just talking. 

“So, Victor, you said you’re a detective?” Yuuri sipped slowly at his glass of water, the soft candlelight that glinted off his glasses painted small lines of light on the table between them. “That must be interesting.”

“Not as much as you’d think. It’s mostly herding my subordinate and doing paperwork.” 

“Subordinate?”

“Yeah, my partner Yuri. He mostly does forensics, but I’ve been teaching him how to talk to suspects and what not. He wants to become a detective someday so I figured I’d help him learn.” 

“That’s very generous of you” Yuuri’s lips pulled back into a bright smile. Victor felt the soft brush of his fingers as they slowly tangled with the younger man’s, his heart already pounding like it was trying to break through his ribcage. Victor wasn’t used to feeling this strongly about anyone, or this strongly in general. Victor kept his emotions closed off, tucked away in some dusty, forgotten corner of his mind along with all the Spanish vocabulary he’d learned in middle school. Sure he felt things, everyone feels something once and awhile, but the nature of his work meant that Victor always had to make sure that he kept them in check. Emotions caused mistakes, and when one mistake could mean a killer escaping justice, injury, or even death Victor always felt it best to minimize the likelihood of making one. 

“Generous is a strong word. The kid helps me out, so I give him some pointers.” After Victor spoke, the two sat in a comfortable silence for a time, each simply content to be near the other, without requiring conversation to fill the gaps. The silence was shattered when a waiter walked over to the table, placing their food in front of them. Victor had ordered the least expensive thing on the menu, the cesar salad, while Yuuri had gone with a horrifically expensive dry aged steak, done blue. Victor watched as Yuuri slowly cut into the steak, eyes glinting as he elegantly took apart the cut of meat. Yuuri looked up, smirking at Victor. 

“Feeling jealous? I can order you one if you want?” Yuuri’s voice was light, each soft, teasing word sunk into Victor like a hook, each syllable pulled him closer and closer. 

“No, no. I couldn’t possibly ask you to go to that much trouble.” Victor stammered, trying to look away, or at the very least make his staring less obvious.

“I already told you that you don’t have to worry about money with me. My family has more money than some small countries do.” 

“I know I know, but old habits die hard, right?” Victor smiled sheepishly, going back to eating his salad. 

“Maybe I can provide you with a different piece of meat later tonight then? I promise there will be no charge for you…” Victor almost spat out his salad at the words, blood rushing to his face. 

“Yuuri! We’re in public.” Victor whispered, looking around to see if anyone nearby had heard. 

“And? I don’t see anything wrong with sharing my feelings about you with the world, emotional or sexual.” 

“S-still, I don’t want to draw too much attention, you know” Yuuri’s eyes narrowed for a moment before he relaxed back into a small laugh.

“Of course Victor. Reputation must be important in your line of work, and I’ll make sure to keep that in mind.” Yuuri picked up a piece of his steak and took a bite, chewing slowly. Victor can smell the scent of the meat floating over the table, mingling with subtle cologne that Yuuri wore.

“Thank you, but, uh, to answer your question that sounds wonderful.” 

“Oh, I’m so glad. I’ll be sure to fill you in about the menu on our way back.” Yuuri purred, subtly cocking his head to display more of the tantalizing skin on his neck, the love bites from their last encounter must have only barely faded, an invitation for Victor to paint that perfect canvas a second time. “I can assure you that it’s quite extensive.” 

“I’m sure it is, if my memory still holds from last time we dined together. Of course I was drinking quite a bit.” 

“Well none of that tonight, I want you to remember everything, okay honey?” 

“Of course, just the one glass of wine for me.” Victor found himself surprised at his own words, even as they came out of his mouth. He would never have thought of letting someone limit his drinking, but here he was, agreeing to do just that at the first request. Sure his drinking wasn’t the healthiest habit, but it was safe, familiar. It would be hard to say that Yuuri helping Victor cut back was a bad thing, but Victor had to wonder if he’d be trading an old addiction for a new one.

Nov. 4, 2016, 10:00 PM

Victor whimpered, body convulsing at Yuuri’s touch. He was lying on Yuuri’s large bed, the many blankets soft against his bare skin, his arms and legs bound to the bed by several lengths of red silk ribbon. Yuuri stood above him, licking his lips as he slowly explored the contours of Victor’s body. Every line of muscle was slowly traced over by Yuuri’s agonizingly soft touch. 

“You look so beautiful like this Vitya~” Yuuri purred, leaning down to kiss Victor, teeth biting harshly at the older man’s lips, eliciting a cry of pain. 

“Y-Yuuri, please- I want it so bad” Victor whined, eyes tearing up from need. Yuuri had said he’d take his time, but it felt like he’d been teasing Victor for hours. Yuuri had brought him closer and closer to the edge but never let Victor fall over the edge to the ecstasy he knew was waiting there. 

“I know, I know. I promise I’ll take care of you soon.” Yuuri stepped away, still mostly clothed, but with the sleeves of his pure white dress shirt rolled up to his elbows. He started to look through a container below the bed, smiling as he pulled out a small bottle of lube and a pack of condoms. 

Victor groaned as he felt a slick hand trace slowly over his entrance, two fingers firmly pressing into him. “Good- good, just relax Vitya.” Yuuri slowly ran his hands through Victor’s hair, comforting him as he started to fuck him, opening him up with his fingers. 

“Oh- f-fuck Yuuri-” Victor whimpered, body arching and straining against the restraints. Yuuri smiled, pulling back slightly, withdrawing his fingers from Victor. Victor whined at the loss, desperate for more stimulation, but he soon found himself growing quiet as he watched, transfixed, as Yuuri slowly began to peel his clothing off, revealing the taut muscle that ran across his body. 

Victor moaned softly as Yuuri took him, writhing below the younger man, desperate for more contact, more sensation, more of everything. Yuuri came with a groan, and Victor barely noticed that he had never bothered to put on a condom, it was probably just a mistake in the heat of the moment, nothing to worry about. They pant, laying in silence for a time, before Yuuri slowly peels himself off of Victor, undoing the lengths of silk that restrained the older man. 

Nov. 1 2016, 8:00 AM 

“BPD open up!” Victor pounded on the door, raising his voice. He’d been past this apartment many times, but never once did he think he’d be pounding on the door as part of an investigation. Otabek Altin had been Victor’s neighbor since he’d moved into this apartment 5 years ago, and in that time they had exchanged approximately 10 words. Other than a nod of acknowledgement when they passed each other in the hallway Victor had spent very little time interacting with the man, but he always gave off the sense that he was not someone you would want to fuck with. Who in their right mind would attack someone who looked like the picture that would come up if you looked up thug in the dictionary? He couldn’t have money, if he had money he wouldn’t live in a place like this. That meant it was probably either personal or gang related and frankly Victor wouldn’t be surprised if it came out that Otabek had some enemies in low places. 

“BPD, open up!” Victor repeated the phrase, continuing to pound at the door. He didn’t actually expect anyone to be home, given that, even three days after the murder, there was no missing persons report. That seemed to indicate a lack of close relationships, or at the very least that those he was close to were wary about drawing police attention. 

“BPD op-” 

“Fucking christ Nikiforov, just move aside already.” Yuri grumbled as he pushed Victor out of the way. He stretched before slamming his foot into the lock of the door, the cheap wood splintering after the first blow. Yuri shoved the door aside, drawing his pistol as he moved into the entryway of the apartment, nearly tripping over a pair of workboots left out in the foyer. “What a fucking dump.” Yuri whistled as he took in the apartment, the scent of cigarettes and old takeout filled the small flat, every flat surface covered in a thick layer of dust and much of the furniture was pushed aside or otherwise damaged.

“Is this a crime scene, or was this guy just a slob?” Yuri slinked gracefully through the apartment, moving carefully to ensure that he didn’t disturb any potential evidence. 

“Well we knew he was killed off site from the blood trails leading to the road, so it’s certainly a possibility. The furniture being knocked over could be a sign of some kind of struggle, be on the lookout for blood or signs of forced entry.” Victor follows in Yuri’s footsteps, sliding a pair of vinyl gloves onto his hands. 

“Yeah yeah, I know the drill.” Yuri said as he carefully examined the carpet, collecting a few stray hairs off the floor and placing them in evidence bags. Yuri could be a handful, but when he finally got to work there was no denying his skill. And lately it felt like with every subsequent case his skills only got better. When it came to Yuri, Victor always felt that, on some level, he was training his replacement. That maybe if he knew there was someone he could feel comfortable leaving his position to, that he wouldn’t feel so damn guilty about the prospect of a career change. This job was killing him slowly, but Victor couldn’t deny the grip it had on him, the feeling that if he could just solve one more case he’d be satisfied, that satisfaction never came. There was always more, always another victim to get revenge for, always another sick bastard who needed to be brought to justice. Cleaning up this city was like bailing water out of a sinking boat; no matter how hard you tried there was always more work, and the only respite was in the retirement home or six feet under. 

“Fuck! Victor you should come see this!” Yuri exclaimed from the other room. Victor followed in his footsteps, picking through the wreckage of the apartment, the harsh copper scent of dried blood started to sting his nose as he made his way over to Yuri, rounding the corner towards his partner.

“Look at this shit! It’s disgusting!” Yuri stood back, near the doorway, shaking his head slowly as he looked over the room. The blood was everywhere, staining the mattress and walls, dried to a dark red crust on the stained ivory paint. Victor felt sick, knowing that this had happened just across the hall from him, knowing that he was probably passed out drunk, unaware as a man was torn apart mere feet away. 

“Gather some blood samples, we need to see if any of this is the perps’. I’ll call back to the station to get some help out here.” Victor spoke evenly, pushing his emotions down and trying to focus on the task that lay in front of him, and not any of its deeper implications. 

“Alright- yeah I’ll get on that.” Yuri spoke quietly, kneeling down to carefully scrape small segments of the blood off the floor and walls, careful to not disturb the scene as Victor stepped out into the hallway, pulling out his cell phone. 

“Dispatch this is Detected Nikiforov, the Altin apartment is a crime scene, we need a coroner and some officers over here to help secure the location.” He talked back and forth, relaying the details to the station before hanging up, pacing slowly around the apartment. It was time to finally start learning more about Mr. Altin, and what he might have done that pissed someone off enough to do something like this. 

Nov. 1, 2016, 10:15 AM 

“The state of the house indicates a fight, but it’s odd that there isn’t any blood outside of the bedroom.” Victor frowned as he looked over the few bits of evidence he and Yuri had been able to dig up, any sort of conclusion still feeling elusive. 

“Are we sure he didn’t just live like this? I mean sure the place was messy but there were no signs of forced entry.” Yuri pointed to what had been a sturdy, intact, door before he’d kicked it down. 

“Maybe… but the lack of forced entry could also indicate that the killer was known to the victim in some way, a friend, or maybe a business partner who he screwed over.” 

“If you ask me this seems like a mob hit.”

“Maybe, but we don’t actually have any evidence that he was involved in criminal behavior. Other than a few grams of coke in his bathroom nothing in here indicates that Mr. Altin was anything other than an upstanding citizen.” 

“Well what did you learn about him then?” 

“He had sex recently, possibly on the night of death.” 

“What makes you think that?” 

Victor grimaced, holding up a used condom “Found this on the floor, plus there were a few traces of semen found on his lips during the autopsy.” 

“Could be incidental.”

“If you have a better lead to follow let me know. From where I’m standing this case is starting to feel a lot like a dead end, and I’m not going to leave any stone unturned.”

“Alright, let’s run a dna test on the semen, see if we can find Otabek’s romeo.” Yuri sighed as he slipped the condom into an evidence bag, stowing it on the table next to the other samples. “Were there any signs of sexual assault on the body? That could be a motive.”

“Well there wasn’t much left- so it’s hard to say. The blood is mostly in the bedroom, and the door wasn’t forced. That tells me that at the very least things started out consensual.”

“Your right, wait a minute- fuck!” Yuri bolted back to the bedroom, leaving a confused Victor to chase after him. “Look- look there!” Yuri gestured violently at the seemingly bare bedposts, Victor furrowed his brow. 

“It’s- a nice bed frame? I’m sorry Yuri I’m not following.” 

“Look- there!” Yuri bent down, eyes narrowing as he pulled a few small fibers off the posts, placing them into evidence bags. “Rope- he was tied down.” 

“So… he was kinky?” 

“No- well yes- ugh now you got me confused idiot. I meant that we could try to figure out what kind of rope it was- see who might have bought it.” Yuri talked excitedly, almost bouncing off the walls with his eagerness to trace the evidence.

“All right- you trace the fiber and see if the DNA test has any results yet, I’ll look around to see who he might have met.” Victor frowned, slowly walking around the apartment. He needed something- anything that could tell him who Otabek was with that night, and he’d tear this apartment apart looking for it. The bathroom, living room and mess around the TV all proved fruitless, and it was as Victor was clambering onto a cheap, rickety chair that he started to think that he was getting a bit old for this job. Yuri was talented, sure, but his energy was exhausting. It felt like like every single day Victor spent working with the kid would be another year off his life, and with the way Yuri drove, Victor’s odds of a peaceful retirement seemed slimmer and slimmer every day. 

Suddenly he saw it, the breakthrough he needed. This was the clue that could break this case wide open- a cup. Not just any cup, but a mug bearing the logo of The Blue Canary. Of all the seedy gay bars in the district, this was one that Victor was very familiar with. If Otabek frequented the bar then odds were that he’d picked up his killer there- or that at the very least that the bartender might have some information on his pattern of behavior. Victor smiled, for the first time in what felt like days, and pulled off his vinyl gloves, tossing them in a trashcan, it was time to pay one of his old haunts a visit. 

Nov. 5 2016, 2:07AM

Yuuri groaned softly, pulling the blanket further over him as he blinked his eyes open. He flopped over, but instead of the warm body of his beloved there was only a desolate expanse of cold fabric. Where exactly had his Vitya gone? He promised he’d spend the night- and no one broke a promise to Yuuri, not if they knew what was good for them. Yuuri rose, every movement measured and graceful as he dressed, pulling on a pair of light sweatpants and a grey t-shirt, stalking quietly through the penthouse. Ballet had ended up being a dead end professionally, but at least he’d learned how to control his body, something that seemed more and more useful these days. Yuuri slipped out the door to his bedroom, ears perking at the sound of movement somewhere else in the flat. It was past the kitchen, near where his home gym would be. 

As Yuuri crept through the kitchen the rack of knives caught his eye. While he didn’t think he was in any danger, Victor could be. Maybe it was a burglary? Or kidnappers? Or maybe something even worse! No matter what it was, Yuuri wouldn’t let any harm come to his Vitya, he’d killed once for him and he’d do it again and again, as many times as he needed to prove his devotion to the love of his life. 

Yuuri withdrew a long carving knife, smiling as he watched the moonlight reflect off the polished blade. Yuuri prided himself on collecting only the best of everything, and his knives were no exception. Each was handmade and imported from Japan, they were all works of art as much as they were tools for cooking. But even among his impressive collection, this one was special. Not for its craftsmanship, though that was excellent, of course, but for the memories it held. This knife was the one he’d used his first time- g-d just thinking about it still made him blush to this day, even all these years later…

2006, Hasetsu Japan

Yuuri was bored, painfully so. His family had left on some business trip, something unimportant enough that Mari was allowed to attend but too important for Yuuri to tag along. It wasn’t that that spending a weekend in Tokyo surrounded by too many people, all of whom were kissing up to him just because of his family sounded pleasant- but spending all this time alone in his family's estate got to him. He’d never felt very close to his family, spending most of his time growing up in solitude or in the care of servants, but now that he was beginning to come of age he’d hoped that his father could educate him, take Yuuri under his wing like he had Mari. But so far nothing like that had happened, instead his family had bought him a dog a few years back, and they seemed to hope that the poodle would make him for all the time they spent away. 

“Here Vicchan~” Yuuri called, hearing the small dog scamper over to the couch he was currently laid out on. He scooped the small animal into his arms, tracing his fingers through the poodle’s hair. “Good boy Vicchan.” He cooed, holding him close, feeling the fast heartbeat. There was something odd that Yuuri felt, whenever he could feel a heart beating. He knew enough about how bodies worked to know that the heart pushes blood around the body, and he definitely knew enough to know that if it stopped the creature died, but there was so much more to it than that. 

He’d been told in school that the heart had nothing to do with emotions, that it all came from the brain, but he knew that couldn't really be true. The heart was so reactive, it’s delicate dance shifting with every change in movement, every stray emotion. Love, fear, hate, they all warped the pace of the organ, altered the flow of life that kept a body moving, and Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder what beautiful music he could create by pulling those feelings out in others. 

Yuuri cocked his head, looking down at the small dog in his lap. He can’t talk to Vicchan per say, but maybe that was better? If he didn’t know what the dog was saying, then that meant that he’d have to read every emotion simply through the reaction he felt in its heart. Yuuri smiled, slowly beginning to pet Vicchan, feeling only a minor change- nothing intense so far. He continued, scratching his pet behind the ears until he felt the tail wag- Vicchan’s heartbeat picked up a bit more. He continued at that pace, closing his eyes as he etched the beat into his memory, memorizing how it felt, focussing until he could almost hear the blood pouring through the veins with each pulse. 

**Yuuri opened his eyes, wondering where he could go from here**. He’d tried this with a few squirrels, but they always fought back too hard to get any real research done, but here was his best chance to explore things in full- for the first time he could quiet all those thoughts, needs, and desires that rattled around his head, blasting away all thought for days on end. Yuuri closed his eyes, tightening his grip on Vicchan as he traced a hand down to the dog’s throat, slowly beginning to squeeze. Vicchan didn’t make a sound, and barely even fought back, but his heart betrayed his true feelings. Yuuri felt the rhythm, the quick pace indicating fear, but more than that he could sense betrayal, anger, and sadness. Yuuri again held that position for a time, saving the memory of the heartbeat before standing, slowly carrying Vicchan to the kitchen. He needed to know- needed to feel what it was like when a life left a body. Transience- impermanence- that’s what made dance such a beautiful art form. No dance could be performed exactly the same way twice, and a recording would never capture the same magic as seeing it live. This was just the same- the music he made like this- the dance of happiness, love, and fear was only beautiful because it ended. 

Yuuri withdrew the long carving knife from the drawer, sliding it out of it’s protective case. He could feel his body trembling as he slid the blade into Vicchan’s neck. He felt the warm spray of blood, heard the yelp from Vicchan, but tried to block it out. He let his eyes flutter shut, feeling the heart grow slower, slower slower… petering out in a beautiful finale. Yuuri shuddered, eyes opening to find his kitchen a mess. Blood was everywhere- on the counters and on the floor, and his shirt was ruined, but all that was fixable, he’d have it cleaned up by the time his family got back. But what wouldn’t go away were the memories, the feeling of ecstasy as he slipped the blade in. He’d do this again, maybe not soon, but someday, he knew that too often would draw suspicion, so for now he focussed his energy on cleaning, disposing of Vicchan and coming up with a convincing story about how his dog had run away. 

Nov. 1, 2016, 10:48 PM

Victor felt memories rush back to him as he descended the stairs into The Blue Canary. Even just the smell of cheap booze, old paint and sweat made him remember his younger days, back when he was just a student looking for some easy cash, long before he’d ever considered joining the force. He’d waited a few hours to come by, both so he could gather his thoughts and because it was easier to keep a low profile in larger crowds that gathered here after dark. Sure it wasn’t exactly likely that the killer would be one of the four people day drinking in a gay club at 3:30 PM, but if against all odds the killer WAS there, seeing a detective would spook him, and he’d probably be halfway to Mexico by the time Victor and Yuri even got a chance to meet up again. Besides, Victor knew the guy who worked nights better- he’d spent enough time here to build up something resembling a friendship with the bartender, and that always helped pull out the real juicy tidbits a bit easier. 

“Hey Vitya! Here to turn some tricks?” Victor smiled as he reached the bar, shaking his head softly. 

“Can’t say I am, Georgi, I think the BPD frowns on that kind of conduct, at least while I’m on the job.” 

“Well that’s our loss then, we had guys asking after you for years after you left, we could’ve made a damn fortune if you hadn’t graduated.” Georgi’s tone is light, and he pours Victor a glass of his favorite whiskey, sliding it over to the detective. “So, you’re here on business then? I hope you aren’t trying to shut the place down…”

“No no, nothing like that.” Victor takes a swig of the whiskey and grimaces, their “top shelf” would barely make it to the bargain bin at any other establishment. “Does the name “Otabek Altin” mean anything to you?” 

“Yeah, yeah, scary looking guy? Kinda short? Dark hair?”

“Yep, that’s the one, is he a regular here?” 

“You could say that… he comes in every few days, sometimes for drinks and maybe to find a guy, sometimes he does a little work for us.” Georgi tops off Victor’s drink, lowering his volume slightly, trying to retain a semblance of privacy. 

“Work? What kind of work?” 

“You know- the kinda stuff you used to do.” That surprised Victor, something that was becoming rarer and rarer these days. Sure he’d pegged Altin as being involved in something shady, but Victor had seen him more as an enforcer or drug dealer, not a rent boy and certainly not one occupying the exact same position Victor had only a few years prior. “You looking for him? I have an address…”

“Otabek is dead, I’m sorry to say.” Victor immediately regrets his blunt tone when he sees Georgi’s face drop. “He seemed like a good guy, I wish I could be here on other business.”

“Yeah- he was, kinda reminded me of you. D-do you know what happened?” Georgi’s voice was shaking, he dabbed tears out of the corner of his eyes as he spoke.

“That’s what I’m here to find out, we think he was murdered by someone he picked up from this club on October 28. I know that was a few days ago, but do you remember him leaving with anyone?” Victor flipped out his notebook, hoping that Georgi’s memory hadn’t degraded in the years since Victor had worked for him. 

“Yeah, he did, and not just anyone. Kid walked in here dressed to the nines, had half the bar fighting their way to me to buy him a drink, but despite all these guys practically bending over for him he only had eyes for Altin.” 

“That surprised you? Otabek seems like a handsome guy.”

“Yeah he is, but not the most approachable, He can be downright terrifying when he wants to be, and he certainly wanted to be that night. He just wanted a drink, had some hard times hit him, but despite his not so subtle hints this guy just keeps talking to him, and eventually they warmed up to each other, made out for a bit and left.” Georgi sighs, shaking his head. “I can’t believe that’s the last I’ll ever see of him.”

“Thank you, I know this isn’t easy. I just have a few more questions I promise.”

“Well I’ll give you anything you need, I’d give you my left kidney if it’d help you catch the fucker who did this.” 

“For now all I need is a name if you have one, and a description would be good too.”

“No name, he paid with cash, but I remember how he looked. He wasn’t tall, but not too short either- maybe 5’7 to 5’10? He was Asian, dark hair, and brown eyes I think? Brown or Hazel for sure.” Victor felt a pang of worry but quickly pushed it down. Sure the description was a bit similar to Yuuri, but this was a huge city, and there were plenty of guys around who could fit that description.

“Alright, and any other distinctive features you remember?” 

“No- none that I can remember, it was a busy night so there were a lotta guys around him, couldn’t get too good of a look, sorry about that.” 

“Well you’ve been a great help, and I am sorry for your loss.” Victor stood, placing down a few dollar bills with a solemn expression. 

“Yeah, come get a drink sometime okay?” Georgi forced a thin smile, shaking Victor’s hand before the detective climbed up the stairs, out of the club. 

Nov. 5, 2016, 2:10 AM 

Victor hadn’t slept , and it wasn’t for lack of trying. He’d had a wonderful night with Yuuri, they’d laughed all through dinner, and fucked for hours, but even after all that Victor still felt a pang of doubt in his chest. He knew that Yuuri couldn’t have done it, that the investigation had taken too long and in all likelihood the killer had fled to a different place. Now it was just a matter of waiting until someone identified someone who fit the description, then they could check the DNA evidence against suspects until they found a match. 

But for the time being, all the paths forward were dead ends, and that left only one path forward that Victor could see- Yuuri. As unlikely as he knew it was, Victor realized that he couldn’t truly relax around Yuuri until he was completely sure that Yuuri hadn’t had anything to do with the killing. It was that line of thought that led Victor to where he was now- sneaking through the private gym of the man he’d just gone out on a date with and questioning his own sanity more and more with every step. 

He’d gone through the whole apartment so far, and there was just one more room to check and he could finally fall back asleep next to the man that he’d spent that wonderful evening with. He crept forward and jiggled the handle- fuck of course it was locked. Victor reached into the pocket of the coat he’d tossed on for warmth and pulled out his wallet, and the slim lockpicking kit stored within. Sure this wasn’t strictly legal, but no one would ever know, and this was more of a personal action than a professional one anyways. Victor went to work, quickly popping the door to the closet open, and stepping in, flicking on a light. 

What had seemed like a fairly standard storage closet turned out to be- something. The room was filled with fine furniture, all reds and blacks, probably imported from Europe or somewhere far away. Attached to the furniture were all manner of restraints, from handcuffs to chains and ropes. Victor let out a sigh of relief, continuing to look around. So Yuuri liked to get kinky, it’s not like he’d kept that a secret, and having a whole playroom was frankly a bit of an exciting possibility, one that Victor would explore fully with t-

Victor’s excitement was cut short when he saw the pictures. Dozens of framed pictures of bodies, horrifically mutilated bodies, all taken in this room. This was a nightmare- it had to be. There’s no way that Victor was seeing this, it couldn’t be real, it couldn’t! Victor slowly began to step out of the room, body shaking as he tried to calm his thoughts, first get out, then call the cops, you can do this Victor just one step after the other. 

Victor slipped out of the closet, flicking off the lights and closing the door. He exhaled, turning to face the exit. He could do this he was almost out-

“Hello Vitya.” Yuuri purred, voice soft, and inviting. “I see you found my playroom.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed! If you enjoyed what you read and want to read more leaving comments really motivates me to write!


	3. November, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuri searches for his missing partner, and Victor shares an intimate moment with the love of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Thank you all so much for the comments last time! You might notice that there's an extra chapter added to the fic- this was supposed to be the finale, but I realized I couldn't fit everything I wanted comfortable in a single chapter, so it's been broken up into two. I hope you all enjoy this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Nov. 7, 10:30 AM 

“OY! Victor! Where the fuck are you?” Yuri yelled out, pounding on the thin wooden door of his partner’s apartment. “If you’re passed out drunk again I swear I’m going to report you to the goddamn chief! You hear me? I’ll take your fucking job!” 

Yuri slammed his fist into the door again and again, frowning as he pulled it away, knuckles torn from the impact. This was starting to get a bit annoying- first Victor’s fucking neighbor got killed and he didn’t bother telling anyone on the force, and then he goes dark for a whole day because he has plans with some boy, and now he doesn’t even have the goddamn courtesy to show up for work? When Yuri finally found Victor he was going to rip him a new one.

“Open this fucking door, you hear me? I will break this shit down again! You know I will!” Despite his words, Yuri wasn’t exactly keen on busting down Victor’s door. For one he’d gotten quite a talking to about it the last time- something boring about “private property” and “respect”, but more importantly he could see the four or so deadbolts that Victor had fastened on the other side of the door. Yuri had always made up for his slight figure through ferocity and pure adrenaline, but when it came to breaking down a door this well secured he wasn’t sure that those would be enough.

Yuri groaned, rubbing his temple as he thought about what to do and then remembered- Chris! Victor loved that Swiss asshole, and if anyone would know where Victor might be, or have an extra key that Yuri could borrow, it would be him. Yuri had worked with Chris a few times in the past, but ever since he’d escaped the endless boredom of forensics he’d managed to avoid him. It wasn’t that Yuri hated Chris, but more so that if Yuri found himself on one more ill-advised blind date that the nosy bastard set up to “get him out of his shell” he’d be seriously tempted to become the latest perp under investigation by the homicide department. It seemed for now that Chris was his only option, but Yuri was definitely going to give Victor a piece of his mind as soon as he got into that apartment. 

Nov. 7 11:36 AM 

The glass door to Chris’s usually peaceful office in the police station rattled as it was thrown open by a very angry Russian. Yuri was rarely pleasant to interact with, but after getting up early to meet Victor at the station, waiting for two hours, driving to Victor’s house, only for the man to ignore his knocking? Yuri was furious, and anything, or anyone, that stood between him and his upcoming shouting match with Victor was simply going to have to get out of his way, doors included. 

“Where is it?” Yuri growled, planting himself firmly in front of Chris’ desk, glaring at the analyst.

“Where is what?” Chris sighed, reluctantly leaning back from his computer and looking around the large screen towards Yuri.

“The keys. The ones to Victor’s place, he has to have given you a copy.” Yuri stepped forward, doing his best to seem intimidating enough to cut the negotiations with Chris short. 

“Well Victor’s a very private man, he wouldn’t want me giving them to you if it wasn’t-”

“It is, trust me.” Yuri cut Chris off, already seething at the impediment to his progress. 

“And why would that be?” Chris took a slow sip from his mug, smiling lightly to himself. He knew Yuri didn’t like him much, and that only made the rare opportunities he found to tease the young detective all the sweeter.

“He didn’t show up at work. Won’t answer his door. I’m just trying to make sure he isn’t bleeding out in an alley somewhere”

“Oh-” Chris’s smile thinned out into a terse frown as he put down the mug, opening his desk. “That is concerning, especially with how strangely he’s been acting lately.”

“Strange? What do you mean strange?” Yuri relaxed as he saw Chris begin to work, glad that at least someone was willing to help. Victor’s other neighbors had all been less than pleasant when Yuri had asked, very politely, if he could use their apartment to get out onto the ledge and climb into Victor’s apartment from there.

“Well you know I love Vitya, but he’s always been very… distant from others.” Chris spoke carefully as he pulled out a large ring of keys, a small tag bearing Victor’s name hanging off of it. 

“Yeah, man’s a brick fucking wall unless you got a clue, booze, or ideally both, what else is new?” Yuri spoke quickly as he snatched up the keys, shoving them deep into the pocket of his dark jacket. 

“What’s new is that he’s seeing someone.”

“Seeing someone? like a boyfriend?” Yuri paused on his way out, turning back towards Chris. The older man nodded, motioning for Yuri to take a seat in one of the overstuffed leather chairs that Chris had placed around the room. 

“He won’t tell me the name, but I’ve never seen him so infatuated. It’s wonderful to see a friend find love, but part of me is concerned about the pace of it.”

“What’s concerning about that?” 

“He met him a few weeks back, and when I texted him last night about how things were going he was using words like “love” and “soulmate”, and that was right after their first real date.”

“Fuck.” Yuri grimaced, chastising himself for not having noticed something was off sooner.

“And for someone like Victor- that’s just not normal behavior. I was willing to write it off as love at first sight, I am the romantic sort after all, but something always bothered me about the whole thing.”

“Yeah, doesn’t sound like the Victor I know in the slightest.”

“No, no it doesn’t.” Chris’ eyes narrowed, glinting with an intensity that Yuri rarely saw from him. “Listen, if Victor isn’t in his apartment, and I think we both know he won’t be, I want you to stay where you are, keep your service weapon ready, and call dispatch. Ask them to send me and a few officers, and I’ll be over as soon as I can.”

“Why not come with me now?” Yuri’s voice lost much of it’s fire, thinning out as he felt a pang of anxiety begin to shoot through his body.

“I have important work to do, and the department doesn’t look kindly on taking an afternoon off to chase a hunch.”

“Yeah yeah-” 

“Hopefully I’ll see you back here with Victor in an hour or so, if I don’t at least I’ll get a chance to break out of this office for the day.” Chris smiled weakly, watching as Yuri slid out of the chair, breaking into a jog as he flew out the door.

Nov. 7, 12:27 AM

Yuri’s car skidded to a halt outside Victor’s apartment building, the car barely coming to a stop before Yuri was out of the seat, already rushing towards the building as he slammed the door to his sedan behind him. He cleared the stairs two at a time, breath rushing in and out of his chest in short gasps. The adrenaline that coursed through his veins meant that he barely noticed the burn in his muscles, not slowing until he reached the third floor, where Victor lived. 

Yuri’s run slowed to a fast walk as his hand dipped into his coat, fetching out the ring of keys. He was worried- more than a little if he was being honest. Even if there wasn’t much that indicated something was wrong with Victor, after all he could have just passed out at some random hookup’s house and not woken up yet, something about what Chris had said had thrown Yuri off balance. His hands were shaking as he reached the door, key slipping past the lock one, two, three times. Yuri felt like screaming, ripping the door off its hinges, but something stopped him. He could almost hear Victor’s voice in his head, telling him to slow down, take a breath, close his eyes. 

After a few moments Yuri continued, unlocking the numerous deadbolts that Victor had placed on a door that was otherwise about as secure as a flap of cardboard. His breath hitched as he opened the door, hand ghosting towards the holster on his hip. The door slowly creaked open, revealing… Victor’s apartment. Yuri relaxed, the tension that had built up in every muscle slowly releasing as he surveyed what Victor called his “creative mess”- a confused pile of documents, notes, and empty bottles of liquor. 

“Victor? You home?” Yuri called out, slowly stepping through the entryway and kitchen towards the living room, where on a normal day Yuri would find Victor passed out, TV still playing some lame sitcom. But today the apartment was silent, only the soft click of Yuri’s boots against the stained linoleum of the kitchen breaking the oppressive quiet. Wait- no other sounds? what about Makkachin? Victor loved that fucking dog, if she wasn’t here than that meant that Victor either moved, gone on vacation, or had something very bad had happened to him. Yuri’s mind began to race as he took in the apartment, desperately trying to find any clues that could point him towards wherever, or whoever, Victor had gone off with. In the back of his mind he remembered Chris’ request, but Yuri was in the zone now, and there couldn’t be any harm in giving the apartment a once over before he called everyone over. 

Yuri pulled on a vinyl glove, shaking his head at the strange feeling that came with investigating a friend’s apartment as a crime scene, before he began his usual ritual, moving from room to room at a slow pace. Makkachin was gone, as was her bowl, food, and most other items that would have indicated a dog lived here. That was strange, and didn’t really go with a kidnapping or murder angle, since most kidnappers aren’t kind enough to bring someone’s dog along with them. As Yuri moved into the bedroom he went through every drawer, noticing that a good amount of Victor’s clothing seemed to be missing, with most drawers being almost entirely empty. Yuri moved towards the closet, pulling it open to reveal a number of cheap, but well maintained, suits. Yuri counted three of the five that Victor seemed to keep in his rotation for work, meaning that Victor had probably taken a few of them with him. 

Yuri had stepped into this apartment looking for evidence of a kidnapping or murder, but right now it looked more like Victor had gotten fed up with the stress and pressure of his work and simply left on an impromptu vacation. That wasn’t the most absurd hypothesis- Victor wasn’t exactly known for stability or impeccable mental health, running off to a different country wouldn’t be very out of character. Yuri groaned, popping a kit out and slowly brushing for prints. Was Victor really gone? Yuri had always been able to tell that Victor had complex feelings about his job. No happy many drank like Victor did, and from what Yuri could tell he wasn’t making any attempt to cut back. Christophe had said once that Victor used the booze to forget what he saw, and maybe it  _ would  _ be best if Victor found a different line of work, but Yuri always wondered how true that was. If it wasn’t for the sense of purpose that Victor found in his work, Yuri thought, Victor would have drank himself to death long ago. 

The young detective made his way back through the apartment, dusting any surfaces that looked like they may have been disturbed recently to see if anyone had been here other than his partner, not that it mattered anyways. Chris had been so convinced this was some big murder case, but Victor probably just got tired of the cold and went somewhere warmer, or maybe finally offed himself. When Yuri finally made it back to the kitchen he remembered what Chris had said and figured he’d give the guy a courtesy call regardless. He pulled out his phone, but as he was flipping through his contacts, trying to find Christophe’s name through the wall of professional connections he’d built up through his years on the force, he heard footsteps, soft and measured, coming close- outside, no inside the door. Yuri spun to face the intruder, dropping his phone and reaching for the gun on his waist in one smooth motion. “DETECTIVE PLISETSKY, BPD. WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?!” 

Nov. 4 2016, 2:15 AM 

Victor’s eyes widened as he saw the blade, moonlight dancing off the polished surface as Yuuri stepped ever closer, each movement further cutting off Victor’s only escape route. “Y-Yuuri? W-what are you doing?” Victor stammered, trying to keep his cool and make sure that Yuuri didn’t try anything before he had the chance to think of a plan.

“I heard a sound, thought someone might have broken in, but it was just you after all, how silly of me.” Yuuri’s face broke into a soft smile, his light tone almost putting Victor at ease, but the way he moved, the way he held the knife, and those pictures… 

“Y-yeah, I got a bit restless, thought maybe I’d walk around a bit, didn’t want to wake you up but I guess I did anyway.” Victor laughed nervously, taking a few steps back to keep distance between him and Yuuri, he didn’t want to lose ground until he had a better idea of the man's intentions. “But, uh, it’s just me, so you c-can put the knife down, right?” 

“Aww, is the big strong detective scared of a kitchen knife?” Yuuri giggled, tossing and catching the weapon with an off putting familiarity. Yuuri clearly knew how to handle that, so Victor could rule out fighting past him as an option.

“When it’s pointed at me like that, yeah, I guess. I just- can’t we just go back to bed?” Yuuri laughed at that, bright and soft, his brown eyes lighting up just like they did on the night they first met. 

“Scared is a good look on you- you act so tough but you’re terrified all the time, isn’t that right Vitya?” Yuuri cocked his head, Victor realized in the back of his mind that, with Yuuri now filling the doorway of the “playroom”, there was no easy way out of this. 

“I- please Yuuri, I’m sorry I snooped, but I didn’t see anything off putting, I promise! I like this kind of stuff too, I would never judge you for that.” 

“I know you wouldn’t puppy, but that’s not all that you saw is it? Guys like you don’t get that scared over a few leather chairs and some dildos do they?” 

“You just surprised me, that’s all. Anyone would be nervous if someone came up behind them holding a knife!”

“Then tell me why all my photos are out?” With that Victor felt his heart sink. He couldn’t talk his way out of this, his only choice now was to fight. Victor launched himself to the side, hoping to draw Yuuri away from the door, but the younger man was faster, and by the time Victor had reoriented himself Yuuri was already dashing towards him. Victor barely had time to move his arms up in defence before Yuuri was on him. The knife, meant for his chest, bit into his arms, the sharp blade slicing almost to bone with little effort on Yuuri’s part. Victor cried out at the pain, but forced himself to fight past it, using his right arm to throw a punch at his boyfriend’s head. 

The strong blow hit Yuuri in the temple, causing him to falter, an opportunity that Victor grabbed, sending another blow into his abdomen, causing Yuuri to double over. Victor pulled away, feeling the metal blade slip out of his left arm as he made a dash for the door. Victor ran out into the hallway but found himself slipping on the polished floor, his momentum carrying him crashing hard into the wall. Victor forced himself up, willing his muscles to work against the burn he could already feel. The way out was so close, Victor could see it, only a few more feet and he’d be safe…

Yuuri was like a wave, crashing over Victor, blow after blow slamming him into the wall again and again, his face twisted with rage. “I trusted you Vitya- I let you into my home and this is how you repay me?” Victor cried out as he felt Yuuri grab his hair, pulling him forward before slamming his head back into the wooden wall, stars flashed through Victor’s vision as he collapsed onto the floor, wheezing in pain. 

“You won’t lay a hand on me ever again, understand?” Yuuri spoke harshly as he kicked Victor in the stomach, causing the older man to retch, spitting up some of the blood he’d swallowed. “I was going to show you, when I knew you’d be ready, but you had to go looking didn’t you?”

“I- d-didn’t mean t-to.” Victor spoke weakly, voice wavering as he tried to pull himself off the floor. “I w-won’t tell, please Yuur-” Victor’s words were cut off by another blow, this time to the head. 

“Don’t try to guilt trip me Victor, this is your fault! You ruined everything, I had it all planned out perfectly for us, but it couldn’t be that simple could it?” 

“I don’t understand… please Yuuri can we just talk about this? I- I need a hospital, but I promise we can work things out afterwards.” Victor knew that wouldn’t help things, but he was desperate, he needed to find a way out of this situation, to appeal to the Yuuri that he’d known before this. The kind, sweet Yuuri that Victor had gone out on a date with just last night had to be in there somewhere, he had to be. 

“No. No no no, you can’t leave me Vitya.” Yuuri’s eyes widened, tears starting to fill them as his voice started to grow ragged.

“Yuuri I promise I won’t leave you, I just need medical attention, alright?” Victor picked himself up, he could feel the sticky warmth of blood covering his shirt, those cuts on his arms must have been deep. “After I’ll come right back here okay? You can go to the hospital with me if you want!” Victor forced a false happiness into his voice, hoping that he could sound convincing enough. 

“They’ll take you from me, I know they will! Noone ever understands, they always just take people away from me and never bring them back!” Yuuri chokes out his words through harsh sobs that begin to rack his body. Yuuri falls to his knees, dropping the knife and burying himself into Victor’s shoulder. “Please just stay with me Victor… promise you’ll stay.” 

July 8, 2015, Hasetsu Japan

“You’re going to America, Yuuri.” Toshiya spoke calmly, but when Yuuri met his eyes he could see the rage barely contained below them. 

“What? Why? I need to stay here to practice!” Yuuri looked across the dinner table at his parents, slamming his chopsticks down on the polished wooden surface. “You can’t just force me to move whenever it’s convenient for you!” 

“I thought I’d raised you better than to raise your voice to me at the table.” Toshiya’s voice is stern, face stey in a grim frown, piercing eyes locked on his son. 

“I’m sorry dad, I just- I have a lot I still want to do before I leave, you know?” Yuuri evened out his tone, smiling weakly. He knew that he’d probably messed up any chance at staying here after his initial reaction, but trying couldn’t make things any worse.

“I know full well why you wish to stay in Hasetsu, Yuuri, and it has little to do with your silly little dream.” 

“What? I meant it dad, I want to be a dancer, and my teacher here is the best in Japan. She says that I have real potential!” 

“If you had potential you’d be getting paid for it already. Don’t ballerinas usually start work before they’re 18?” Yuuri felt his face flush red with embarrassment, anger still bubbling beneath the surface.

“I know, but I haven’t been doing it all that long. Please, just another year?” 

“You can find an instructor in America easily enough. If that was really your concern you would find a way I’m sure.”

“But it’s not that simple! You have to apply and there’s tryouts and-” 

“Yuuri, Minako is a family friend, and she’s doing us a favor by teaching you. We both know that with her business growing the way it is she doesn’t have the time. Don’t be a burden Yuuri.” 

“Even if that was true that still doesn’t explain why you’re sending me halfway around the world!” Yuuri huffed, glaring across at his father. 

“I know what you’ve been doing with men, Yuuri.” Yuuri’s heart sank at the words, his sharp glare softening into a dejected frown. “And I know that those men keep disappearing.”

“W-what are you trying to imply? I wouldn’t… I mean there’s no way I could…” Yuuri stammered, eyes tracing to the windows and doors, trying to see if there were any police waiting for him. 

“We have proof, Yuuri, so do the police, and that’s where I start to have an issue.” 

“W-what?” 

“What you do with your own time is truly no concern of mine. Everyone has desires, and they are not a thing to be suppressed, rather indulged with care and grace.” Toshiya smiled warmly, standing and pacing as he spoke. “It’s like how I treat alcohol. We both know I like a drink, and that I make a fool of myself when I’m drunk, so I’m very careful about when and where I drink. You must learn to do the same, or you may lead to a great deal of embarrassment for the family, and that is something I cannot abide.” 

“S-so you’re not angry?”

“Of course I am Yuuri, you were caught, and I had to spend a lot of money and many favors to get this buried. If you’d told me sooner I would have been saved a great deal of trouble.”

“I- thought you’d be angry, that you’d turn me in or cast me out…” 

“Turn you in?” Toshiya shook his head, stepping closer to Yuuri and placing a hand on his shoulder. “Yuuri, you’re my only son, I would never, ever allow any harm to come to you, no matter what you enjoy.” 

“But you’re still going to send me away?” 

“Yuuri, I’m sending you away to keep you safe, don’t you understand? Hasetsu is small, and even the occasional disappearance is news, let alone all these murders clustered in a few years. You need to go somewhere big, where you can indulge without drawing too much attention.” 

“I- see, that makes sense I suppose.” 

“You’ll go to Boston, there are many top universities there, so your presence will not be questioned. Perhaps you’ll even learn something that could help our business in the long term, whenever you decide it’s time to take your place. In addition, Minako’s company has a large amount of property across the city that you can have full use of, and her connections with the city government will keep investigations firmly off your trail.” 

“Thank you father, this was- kind of you.” Yuuri smiled weakly, standing from his chair. “I’ll prepare for my trip then.” 

“I hope you find happiness in America, Yuuri.” Toshiya smiled back, sitting back down in his chair. “And I look forward to the day when I see you become the man I know you can be. You’re a smart boy, learn to use it.” 

Nov. 5, 2016, 6:00PM 

The pain was worse than anything Victor had felt before, and Victor had felt a lot of pain in his life. All the fights in the world couldn’t prepare him for the feeling of a knife slowly dragging down his side, or the feeling of watching the man he loved shudder with glee as blood welled to the surface. 

“Vitya, I’m going to make you look so wonderful. You know that, right?” Yuuri babbled excitedly, beaming down at Victor. After their short scuffle he’d dragged Victor into the playroom and onto some sort of table. Victor had been passed out for what had to have been at least a day, but he wasn’t dead, and he still wasn’t sure if that was a blessing or a curse. “That skin of yours is so perfect, but it’s so symmetrical, so boring. A beauty like yours should tell a story, draw the viewer in, and perfection rarely does either.” 

Victor cried out in pain as Yuuri sunk his knife in again, dragging the tip across Victor’s side and stomach thin red lines welling up in its path. Victor had seen the corpse, he knew that this was only the beginning, and he hoped beyond hope that he’d pass out long before Yuuri began removing his skin or organs. Yuuri hummed as he worked, smiling softly as he traced the knife lazily across Victor’s body, pausing occasionally to inspect his work. Victor closed his eyes, he didn’t want his last sight to be his boyfriend- his love taking his life away, instead he thought of Makkachin and Yuri. 

“Ah ah ahhh, no passing out yet, okay puppy?” Yuuri shook Victor, pulling him away from his thoughts. “I know it hurts, but I promise I’ll make it up to you, alright?” Yuuri smiled expectantly. Victor slowly nodded, trying his best to stay still, but every movement just brought more pain. He felt something warm against his stomach- Yuuri’s lips, tracing small kisses across the fresh cuts. Yuuri’s tongue lapped at the blood, cleaning the crimson liquid off Victor’s ruined body. “Oh Vita~ you taste so perfect, just like I imagined.” Yuuri purred as he continued to lap at the fluid, moaning softly as he did. Victor hissed every time Yuuri’s tongue traced over a cut, sharp pain coursing shooting from the site of the contact, but this pain was different, more measured that that caused by the blade, and the sparks of sensation caused his body to stir, despite the fear still clouding his mind. 

Yuuri worked his way up Victor’s body, motions slow and measured, just as perfect as anything Yuuri did. Victor couldn’t help but let out a small whine when Yuuri’s tongue traced over a nipple, the soft noise turning into a cry of pain when Yuuri dug a finger into a deep cut on Victor’s side. “That’s it Vitya- keep making those beautiful sounds for me.”

Yuuri pulled away, giving Victor a moment to catch his breath, before he felt something warm and wet slide over his cock, causing him to let out a groan. Yuuri smirked, placing a lick up the side of the hardening length. “You’re enjoying this, I can feel it. This room is soundproof, so you can moan as loud as you need, alright?”

Before Victor could respond, Yuuri took him in his mouth again, servicing him again and again until Victor was on the brink of orgasm, skin flushed and drops of sweat running down his body, sending up sparks of pain when they fell into one of the cuts blanketing his torso. 

Just as Victor was about to cum Yuuri stopped, pulling a desperate whine from Victor. “I know I know, but I need something too, alright?” Yuuri spoke softly, Victor’s eyes fluttered open, and he could see Yuuri, nude except for an unbuttoned, pure white dress shirt, rolled up sleeves stained red with blood. Even after everything, Yuuri was still beautiful, even if Victor could see now that Yuuri’s beauty was a weapon, just as sharp and dangerous as any of the knives that he’d brought to bear. He’d been such a fool, to think that he’d found love, that someone like Yuuri would care for him. He’d ignored the logical part of his brain, the tool that he’d honed through years of detective work, all because some rich college boy had given him doe eyes and a few good fucks. 

Yuuri gasped as he wrapped a hand around himself, eyes locked on Victor’s body. This was all so perfect, it all worked out just how he’d wanted. Victor had seen how much he cared, and now he was here to stay. He kept a hand on his cock as he reached over for his knife, sliding the blade down Victor’s chest, and watching the blood well up with fascination. Blood was so special, and it disgusted Yuuri that people saw it as something to be avoided. The heart was where all the most important emotions came from. Love, pure and unconditional or tainted with lust came from the heart, carried by blood to cause cheeks to flush, skin to tingle, arousal to stir. Whenever Yuuri tasted blood, he was really tasting the love of the one who gave it to him, and Victor’s tasted sweeter than any he had before. 

Yuuri couldn’t wait any longer, he climbed onto the table, straddling Victor and reaching towards a side table for some lube. He spread it over Victor’s cock and sunk down with a moan, feeling a pleasant ache as he was opened up by the older man. “Vitya- you’re so big, filling me up so well.” Yuuri moaned, kissing up Victor’s body until his lips met his love’s, biting and kissing his lips with abandon. Victor’s body was so responsive to his every touch that if he didn’t know better, Yuuri would think that he was Victor’s first, but he was in a way, wasn’t he? Whoever Victor had been with before, Yuuri could tell that Victor didn’t love them as much as he loved Yuuri- that simply wasn’t possible. No one would do the things for Victor that Yuuri would, because no one cared as much as Yuuri, and Victor was close to realizing that, Yuuri just knew it. 

“Vit--ya, Ahh! L-love you so much.” Yuuri wrapped a hand around his cock, already close from the intensity of watching his boyfriend struggle like that. “C-cum in me, Vitya~” Yuuri kissed Victor's chin, down to where he could feel the man’s pulse between his teeth, dancing with the passion and love that he was undoubtedly feeling just as much as Yuuri. Yuuri smiled as he bit down, squeezing until he tasted rich coppery blood- sweet, intense, and undeniably Victor. His love let out the most exquisite cry of pleasure that Yuuri had heard from any of his partners, and he felt Victor cum into him, the warm sensation driving Yuuri over the edge, cum spraying onto Victor’s already filthy stomach. “G-good puppy.” 

Nov. 7, 2016, 12:40 AM

Yuri’s eyes narrowed as he took in the figure behind him, the short, dark haired man looked like he was more likely to keel over from the shock of having a gun pulled on him than he was to hurt Yuri, but he wasn’t taking any chances. “I’M NOT ASKING AGAIN, WHAT’S YOUR NAME?” Yuri yelled out, with as much authority as he could command. Victor was always better at this part, Yuri’s age meant that people rarely took him seriously, but a gun helped even out the gap a bit. 

“Yuuri- Katsuki.” The man stammered out the words, hands shaking where they were held above his head. “Please don’t shoot me.” He squeaked out, voice small as he squeezed his eyes shut. Yuri sighed, he didn’t know why this guy was here, but he didn’t seem dangerous. He holstered his gun, lowering his voice slightly.

“Go sit down in that chair, keep your hands visible and move slowly. This house is an active crime scene, and as far as I’m concerned you’re a potential suspect.” Yuri made sure to get between the man and the door as Yuuri slowly walked over to the chair. It crossed Yuri’s mind that he should probably call Chris, but he wasn’t exactly comfortable taking his attention away from his new friend, and besides, he was Yuri Plisetsky, he could handle one nervous twink.

“So, your name is Yuuri Katsuki, why exactly are you at this apartment? You know Victor?” Yuri stood in front of the chair, towering above Yuuri as the smaller man seemed to shrink into the seat more with each passing second. 

“Y-yeah, h-he’s my b-oyfriend.” Yuri couldn’t stifle a chuckle. Out of all the guys in the city Victor chose this pathetic weakling? He wasn’t even cute- alright maybe a little cute, but still!

“That doesn’t answer my question, why are you here?” 

“Victor and I were going on vacation, I wanted to grab some of his things.” 

“What? That’s ridiculous, I work with Nikiforov and he doesn’t have any vacation planned for another few months!” This guy was really trying to dig his own grave huh? Yuri tried to suppress a smile as he dug out his phone, tapping a few numbers to call the station.

“I’m telling the truth I swear!” Yuuri’s voice is desperate, pleading, Yuri paid no mind. 

“Well then you have nothing to worry about, I’m just calling the station to see if you’re lying or not.” After a few line transfers Yuri reached his lieutenant, and he felt his heart drop out of his chest when he confirmed the news- Victor had put on emergency leave only an hour ago, and would be taking an indefinite, possibly permanent break from the force. 

“Can I please go now?” Yuuri whimpered out in that disgusting soft tone. 

“Get the fuck out of this apartment pig.” Yuri growled, shoving his phone back in his pocket. This didn’t add up- none of it. He was going straight to Chris when he got back, he needed to know the truth. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed comments and kudos are the fuel that keeps me writing, so please feel free to leave them!


	4. December

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The case is finally closed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Thanks to everyone who stuck around until the end! I hope you all enjoy the conclusion to this wild ride as much as I enjoyed writing it!

December 5, 2016 10:52 PM

Yuri winced as he stepped into the club, the blaring music already grating against his already frayed nerves. Why could he and Chris never meet up someplace normal? Like one of their apartments or a nice restaurant? In truth Yuri knew why, because whoever was behind this bullshit was powerful and could have eyes and ears everywhere, and it was easy to disappear in a place like this. Through the strobes, music, and mass of sweaty bodies, anyone who wanted to hear what he and Chris were talking about would have a hell of a time, and if they did discover something compromising they probably deserved whatever information they found. 

Yuri spotted Chris sitting at a small table bare legs crossed and two neon green cocktails sitting in front of him. Yuri’s face twisted into a grimace- even from across the room he knew that the drink would be disgustingly sweet, but it wasn’t the worst thing he’d done for his job. 

“Yuri!!! So good to see you!!!” Chris bounded up as soon as he saw the Russian, pulling him into a tight hug and whispering into his ear. “Were you followed?” 

“If I was he’s better than any human I’ve met.” At that Chris smiled, kissing Yuri on the cheek and pulling away, motioning for the younger man to sit on the high stool across from him. 

“Talk to me, mon cher, what’s the story with Vitya’s boyfriend?” 

“I couldn’t find much...” 

“Oh Yura~ I know you can do better than that.” Chris interrupted, causing Yuri to groan in frustration. 

“Let me finish asshole. Anyways, I didn’t find shit on him, to the point where it’s starting to weird me out.” Yuri slid his phone across the table, a record of his various searches through different legal archives. “No residences, no bank accounts, nothing.” 

“It seems our precious Vitya found himself a ghost, how romantic.” Chris smirked, flipping through the files. “But you’re confident the boy you met was Katsuki Yuuri?” 

“Yeah, I found pictures of him with his family, no mistaking that deer in the headlights look.” Yuri scoffed, he still couldn’t believe that that pathetic pig he’d met at Victor’s apartment had so many connections, but clearly either he, or someone close to him, did. Victor had disappeared, no address, no contact info, and they had been told not to “waste resources” on tracking him down. Yuri had been taken off the Altin case and transferred to Vice, he’d seen the case dropped a few weeks later, unable to do anything from his new desk. Sure there wasn’t anything that directly tied Yuuri to the case, or Victor’s disappearance for that matter, but it was too much of a coincidence to ignore. Who else had a known relationship with Victor and the resources to determine officer’s desk assignments? The only unknown factor now was exactly how the Altin case was connected, but that could wait until after they found Victor. 

“All this would be so easy if we just had an address… wait a minute, I might have an idea!” Chris’ face lit up, he turned to face Yuri, beaming with excitement. “He met Victor at a bar- that’s what Vitya told me at least, and I know all the spots Victor would go when he was trying to avoid you.”

“Thanks for telling me…” Yuri grumbled, letting the analyst continue.

“That gives us a general district, to work in, he has to live somewhere in the vicinity of these four bars.” Christophe pulled open the map app on his phone, pointing out an area that covered almost a quarter of Boston. 

“Or he was going to a far away bar to throw off investigators like us. Do you usually commit murder right near your house?” 

“No, of course not, but Yuuri is sloppy. He’s clearly trying to cover things up, but he only seems to have one tool available, brute financial force.” Chris babbled excitedly, drink forgotten as his eyes lit up.

“And what makes you say that?” 

“He went back to Victor’s place, got caught by you, and the next week you were off the case. If he was smart he’d lay low, be quiet and work to cut any connections between him and the rest of the case, but instead he went with the most obvious bribery I’ve ever seen.” 

Yuri perked up, finally catching up with Chris’ line of thought. “Of course! I can’t believe I’m saying this, but you’re right!” 

“Yuuri panicked, and that’s his weakness. This is not a man who is used to dealing with problems in any way that doesn’t involve money.” Chris sat back, a satisfied smirk filling his face as he drank deeply, draining his small glass. 

“That’s all well and good, but I don’t see how this gets us any closer to finding Victor.” 

“Of course it does Yura, didn’t Victor teach you better than this? You have to have some imagination, some creativity for once in your life!” Chris reached across the table, draining the second glass. “We know he was panicking, so he was probably a bit sloppy. Who would he have to bribe to get you transferred?” 

“Feltsman, the captain. He could do it.” Yuri didn’t want to think that Yakov was the kind of guy to take a bribe, but someone had to, and he was the one who had given Yuri the news. 

“Give me three days and I’ll have every cent that went in and out of his account. How much will you bet that our Yuuri used his personal account?” Chris smiled mischievously over at Yuri.

“I don’t make bets.” 

“Mon dieu- it’s not an actual bet, just a figure of speech- anyways, I bet he was sloppy and left some breadcrumbs with the transfer, but I can’t use department resources so it will take longer than usual for me to trace everything.” 

“So, meet up again in three days?” Yuri stretched, sliding off his stool. At least this meeting had been short, he could feel the roots of a migraine twisting their way through his temple. 

“Better give me four, just in case.” Chris made no move to stand, in all likelihood he’d try to take someone home from this shitshow of a club.

“Be safe, see you then.” Yuri spoke, tone coarse as he shoved his way through the crowd and out the door. It was cool outside, a welcome contrast from the sweltering heat inside the club. It was snowing, the delicate flakes melting into nothingness as they touched down onto the concrete, disappearing into the city, just like so much else. Where was Victor? Yuri had been asking that question for weeks, and he couldn’t help but worry that if he and Chris didn’t move fast, there wouldn’t even be a Victor to find. 

December 5, 2016 10:45 PM 

“Look outside Vitya! It’s snowing!” Yuuri smiled, curling up into his boyfriend as they watched the snow fall through the large windows. This had been the right choice, the city was stifling both of them, and it was time that Victor took some time off to unwind and find himself again after the unfortunate incident back in November. 

“I see that Yuuri, the snow always reminds me of when I’d visit my family back in Russia.” Victor pulled Yuuri close, enjoying the feeling of his soft skin. 

“Do you miss Russia, Victor?” 

“Sometimes, it’s been quite a while since I had a chance to go there. With my work I don’t- didn’t really get time off.” Victor chuckled, low sound filling the small space between the two lovers. “Sorry I’m not really used to the retired life now, especially not at 27.” 

“You’re not retired- just taking a break. My family will find something for you to do, something less… dark. Sales maybe?” 

“That would be nice, but I’ll do any job as long as I have you to come home to at the end of the day.” Victor grinned as he saw Yuuri’s cheeks grow pink, pulling the younger man in for a deep kiss. Yuuri let out a small gasp at the contact, relaxing as he slipped his tongue into Victor’s mouth, reluctantly breaking the kiss a few moments later to continue. 

“In any case we should go sometime, money is no object of course!” Victor shook his head in disbelief. Yuuri could tell he wasn’t used to not caring about money, most people wasted their lives worrying about finance and savings and loans. Yuuri needed to do everything he could to ensure that his Victor was well taken care of. 

“That- would be nice, I’ll take you up on that someday.” Victor kissed Yuuri again. He’d never get tired of the way the younger man reacted to his kisses, treating each one like the most precious gift he’d ever received. Of course that was foolish, Yuuri was Victor’s gift, not the other way around. Sure there had been that unfortunate miscommunication a month ago, but that barely crossed Victor’s mind now, not after Yuuri had helped him understand things better. He loved Yuuri, he knew he did, and Yuuri helped remind him of that every day. 

Yuuri stood, and Victor let out a small whine at the loss of contact. “I know, I know, but I need to get you your medicine, okay?” Yuuri’s voice was silky, smooth and measured, and Victor couldn’t say no to those eyes. 

“Of course, thank you Yuuri.” Victor smiled, letting his eyes flutter shut as he laid back on the couch. The medication had helped him, and while Yuuri wouldn’t say what was in it, he knew Yuuri had a doctor make it just for him, one of many gifts that Victor had gotten. He wasn’t sad anymore, everything felt good, and he was so happy with Yuuri, happier than ever before. He didn’t even have to take the medication as often as he used to, and Yuuri said that someday soon he’d be able to go off it! That made Victor very happy, because the needles always bothered him. 

“Here you are!” Yuuri spoke cheerfully, stepping into the room with a small leather case in his hand. “You’ll have to sit up, unfortunately.” 

“You’re so mean to me Yuuri~” Victor groaned, slowly sliding up into a sitting position. 

“I’ll promise to reward you later Vitya, I got you something special for tonight…” Yuuri brushed his lips over Victor’s cheek as he unzipped the case, pulling out a syringe filled with clear liquid.

“And what would that be?” Victor flinched as Yuuri pressed the needle into his arm, feeling a burning running up and down his muscles as Yuuri slowly injected the substance. It hurt his body, but it set his mind free, that’s what Yuuri had told him, and he knew it was true. He was happy, truly happy for the first time in years.

“I brought us someone from town.” Yuuri pulled out the needle, wiping off the injection site and pressing a band-aid over the small dot of blood he saw. 

“And who might someone be?” 

“No one will be missed.”

“So you brought us a canvas?” 

“Exactly.” Their lips meet again, and it feels better than anything else possibly could. Victor knows this is where he belongs, with Yuuri, forever. 

December 13, 2016 12:13 AM 

Yuri yawned, checking his watch again. Where the fuck was Giacometti? He was supposed to be here almost an hour ago, and despite his frivolous nature the man wasn’t known for being late. A pang of anxiety shot through Yuri’s chest, the small booth in the back that Yuri had squeezed into started to feel like a cage. He could feel eyes tracing past him, and he wondered how many of them worked for Yuuri. Something bad could have happened to Chris, and Yuri might never know. Would he show up mutilated like Otabek? Or just disappear from the face of the earth like Victor? This whole situation was fucked- it didn’t feel real, and if Chris was gone Yuri really would be alone. 

Yuri’s breath came in and out faster, but he willed it to slow, trying his best to stay calm. He’d worked hard to lose any tails, but if one was here he couldn’t show any fear, that would just make them more confident, and raise the likelihood of them trying something. Just as Yuri was beginning to plan his exit, pulling some cash out of his wallet to leave for the waiter, he saw Chris limp into the door, deep bags under his eyes. The older man sighed as he slumped into the booth across from Yuri, looking ragged, cold, and in dire need of a drink. 

“You’re late.” Yuri’s voice was blunt, but he was glad that Chris wasn’t dead, not that he’d admit as much to the older man. 

“Well their tails are getting better and better, it took me forever to shake mine.” Chris signalled for the waiter, asking for a bottle of wine and a few appetizers. 

“We’ll have to be quick, they close in less than an hour.” Yuri waved around the room, pointing to the mostly empty tables.

“I won’t need that long.” Chris reached into his pocket, pulling out an envelope and sliding it across the table. “I got what we were looking for- wasn’t easy though.” 

“An address? How’d you manage that?” Yuri grabbed the envelope greedily, pulling it open and examining the papers within, eyes lit up with interest. 

“My hunch was correct, I was able to trace the account he used for the bribes back to a personal one, and found that he’d paid for a three month long stay in this rental house a little while out of the city. I’ll bet that’s where you’ll find Victor.” Yuri smirked, stowing the papers in his pocket after he had committed the address to memory. Finally he had a chance to get back at this bastard. A chance to find Victor, and put this sick fuck away for good. He wasn’t the sentimental sort, but if he was, Yuri thought that he’d be weeping with joy. 

“Thank you Christope- I don’t know how to thank you enough.” Yuri gave Chris a rare smile, the man nodded in acknowledgement, taking a deep drink from his wine glass as soon as it had been placed in front of him. 

“I do.” 

“What do you mean? It was a rhetorical sentence, idiot.” Yuri scoffed, sitting back in the booth, the smile gone and replaced with his usual scowl.

“Leave me out of this.” Chris’ voice was cold, almost harsh.

“What? I thought you were friends with Victor? You don’t care if he lives or dies now? That’s fucked up.” Yuri growled, eyes flashing in an attempt at intimidation that didn’t seem to phase Chris. 

“My street Yura- that’s where Yuuri’s guys were waiting for me. It’s getting too close to home. I care about Victor, I really do, but for fucks sake Yuri I have a family! You’ve seen what Yuuri is capable of, and I’m not going to expose the people I love to that, not even for Victor.” Chris sounded exhausted, eyes refusing to meet Yuri’s as he fidgeted half heartedly with his tie. The fire and energy that Yuri usually expected out of the older man was gone, replaced by a deep malaise. 

“That’s a fucking easy decision for you to make, isn’t it? You say you want to protect the people you love, but maybe some of us care about Victor! He’s the best friend I’ve ever had, even if he’s annoying sometimes. I learned so much from him, and I can’t just let him die like this, not without doing whatever I can to help!” Yuri was yelling now, the whole restaurant could probably hear, but Yuri couldn’t find it within himself to give a shit. 

“I do care about him Yuri, but it’s been over a month. He’s probably dead already.” 

“Don’t you dare fucking say that! You can’t know for sure!”

“I’ve worked on this force for years, Yura. The longer it takes to recover a kidnapping victim, the lower the chances of survival. After more than a month? The odds are low, Yuri. Really low.” Chris drank again, this time draining the glass. 

“Low isn’t nothing, and I’m not willing to leave my partner for dead because of some bullshit calculation. You’re out? Fucking great, but I’m going to this address tonight, and there’s no way you’re going to stop me. Is that clear?” Yuri stood, tossing a few bills on the table before storming out of the small restaurant, sliding into the car he had parked just outside. As he slid out of the spot he took a moment to take stock of what he had on him. Gun, badge, handcuffs, address, that was enough. For what he had planned he doubted he’d even need the handcuffs, Yuuri was dangerous, and he’d never be convicted *with all his families’ connections. Yuri needed to take care of him once and for all. No matter what this would end tonight. 

December 5, 2016 11:00 PM 

The man screamed again, crying out in pain below Victor. This was the part of their relationship that Victor had been the most reluctant about at first- working with Yuuri. He knew that Yuuri had desires, he had the scars to prove it, but watching those desires first hand was another thing entirely. At first he’d simply let Yuuri work in another room, but Victor knew that wasn’t really what Yuuri wanted, and that wasn’t what Victor wanted either. Victor wanted to love Yuuri- all parts of him, even those that were hard to love at first, and to that end he’d spent the last few weeks watching Yuuri do this. 

Yuuri’s eyes always narrowed as he worked, and when they were Victor knew he was not to be interrupted. Yuuri was skilled with a knife, able to keep a canvas alive even as he decorated it’s skin with cut after cut until the original form was barely visible. Some nights he didn’t bother, simply killing it quickly and decorating the canvas afterwards, but Victor always preferred when Yuuri left them alive- it meant that Victor got to hold down the canvas for his boyfriend. 

The canvas whimpered, pleading for Yuuri to stop, asking for his mother, repeating the same simple phrases over and over. “I know, I know.” Yuuri purred, placing a chaste kiss on the man’s forehead. The gesture wasn’t particularly intimate but Victor still felt a pang of jealousy run through his chest, that was _his_ Yuuri after all. “I promise it will be over soon, but you’ve been so good for me tonight, you know that, right?” Yuuri traced a finger along the man’s cheek, tenderly caressing the only stretch of skin he’d left untouched. Victor felt the jealousy again, burning dark and hot in his stomach. He knew that Yuuri was too good for him, that he was going to leave him, and it was all this canvas’ fault. Victor’s eyes flashed with rage as he moved his hands from the man’s arms up to his neck, squeezing hard as the man choked around his grip. 

“Vitya??? What are you doing?” Yuuri pulled away slightly, voice tinged with worry. Victor didn’t respond, he didn’t need to. He could explain it all to Yuuri later, but as long as this man was alive things weren’t safe. The man tried to push him off, clawing and writhing below, but Victor held firm, not easing up until he felt the pulse below his fingertips slowly disappear. 

Victor looked up at Yuuri, then down to the body, stumbling back in a haze. “Y-Yuuri- I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what came over me, and - I - fuck I killed him didn’t I?” 

“You did kill him Victor. Why would you do that?” Yuuri’s voice was smooth and soft as ever, he quickly closed the distance between them, placing a hand on Victor’s back to stop him from moving further away. 

“I- I don’t know, I saw how you were looking at him, and touching him and I just got so jealous. J-jealous and scared I guess, that you’d leave me.” Tears formed in Victor’s eyes as his vibrant blues met Yuuri’s brown.

“Oh Vitya, you know I’d never leave you for anyone, especially not a silly little canvas.” Yuuri giggled softly, his hand tracing up Victor’s back to play with his soft, silver hair. 

“I know, I know, but it was like something came over me, I didn’t feel like myself.” Yuuri nodded in understanding, gently coaxing Victor down onto the soft couch in the corner of the room. 

“How did it feel? Taking his life?” Yuuri’s hands never left Victor’s body, placing gentle, reassuring touches across his back and shoulders. 

“Powerful, and … loving in a way.” 

“Loving?” 

“I was doing it for you, Yuuri. I’d never do anything like that for anyone else.” Victor smiled weakly down at his lover, noticing that Yuuri’s cheeks had begun to grow red. 

“Oh Vitya, you know you can’t say things like that to me.” Yuuri purred, pulling Victor into a deep kiss. Victor moaned at the sensation, turning over to press the younger man into the couch.

“And what are you going to do about it, Yuuri?” Yuuri flushed an even deeper red, teeth biting harshly at Victor’s neck. 

“I- want you to fuck me, prove to everyone that I’m yours.” Yuuri murmured, tracing a hand down to the growing bulge between Victor’s legs. Victor growled at the sensation, grinding harshly into Yuuri’s hand. His guilt over the killing was gone, every negative thought pushed to the side as his mind was filled with Yuuri. He dipped a hand beneath Yuuri’s dress shirt, pinching a nipple and twisting until he drew a sharp moan from his boyfriend. Grinning at the reaction Victor continued, slowly unbuttoning Yuuri’s shirt to reveal the pale skin beneath. 

“You’re so beautiful my Yuuri, and so entirely mine.” Victor kissed Yuuri over and over again, it was never enough- every kiss just made him need more and more. He kissed down Yuuri’s body slowly, reverently, until he was kneeling between the man’s legs. He looked up at his lover, who nodded permission, eyes fluttering shut as he felt Victor slowly unbutton his pants, pulling them down to reveal his achingly hard cock. 

“No underwear? It’s almost like you were expecting something like this to happen…” Victor smirked, placing a long lick up the side of the shaft, causing Yuuri to let out a small whine. 

“You- ahhh- fucked me three times yesterday, I figured once wouldn’t be enough today either.” Yuuri’s hand tangled with Victor’s hair, keeping the older man in position as he began to grind against Victor’s face.

“With you I can never have enough.” Victor’s voice was low and sensual as he took Yuuri’s cock into his mouth. This was where he belonged, servicing Yuuri, giving everything he could. All thoughts of the killing, guilt, and doubt left Victor’s mind as he took Yuuri in his mouth again and again until he felt his boyfriend’s grip tighten. 

“Victor- fuck, don’t stop please~” Yuuri groaned as he came, filling Victor’s mouth with his release. Victor moaned at the taste, making sure to lick up every drop before slowly beginning to dress Yuuri. 

“I love you, Vitya~”

“I love you too, my Yuuri.”

December 13, 2016, 3:05 AM

Yuri yawned, the long stretch of road ahead of him seeming like an almost insurmountable obstacle to his exhausted mind. Part of him thought about pulling over, and waiting until morning to confront Yuuri, but he couldn’t do that. Not when every minute counted, not when he couldn’t be sure that Victor was alive or dead. Yuri narrowed his eyes, digging his nails into his arm. He could feel the adrenaline sparked by the pain rushing through his body, sharpening his mind and allowing him to focus. He could, no, he would do this. He’d show Chris, Victor, everyone, that he was as good an officer as any on the force. Yuuri and Feltsman had mocked him, barely even bothered hiding their corruption and now he was going to show all of them what a mistake it was to underestimate Yuri Plisetsky.

Lights- he saw lights ahead. After the last half hour of driving through woods he never thought he’d reach it, but he had. Yuri couldn’t hold back the smirk that filled his face, he couldn’t wait to see Yuuri’s pathetic face twisted in fear when he realized he was caught. The guy had practically shit himself at the sight of a gun, it would be fun to see how he handled a few rounds into his leg.

Yuri turned his headlights off, slowing his pace as he drew closer, hoping to keep the noise down as much as possible. He didn’t bother parking right in front of the house, that would definitely draw attention, instead he drove a bit past the building, slowly bringing the car to a stop a few dozen yards down the road. Yuri opened the door, sliding out as quietly as he could manage. The cold winter air stung his face, but he welcomed the sensation after a few hours in the car. It was snowing now, flakes falling from the sky, pure white dotting the dark earth that made up the road. Yuri reached into his jacket, pulling out the handgun within and checking the clip. He took a moment to breathe, closing his eyes to focus his thoughts and collect himself before setting off towards the house. 

The dirt was frozen, the hard surface making it easy for the detective to keep his footing as he crept towards the property, eyes keenly tracing across the yard and windows for security. The house was old, probably Victorian, white paint chipping off of the siding. Despite the size and grandeur it didn’t seem to have any added safety features. No cameras, gates, walls, or guards in sight, which drew a grin from Yuri. Of course they wouldn’t bother building up security this far out in the boonies, no one would think to look for the heir to the Katsuki fortune here _,_ of all places. 

Yuri crept closer and closer, dirt giving way to the smooth asphalt of the driveway, giving way to grass. It was only when he reached the wooden stairs leading up to the small porch and door beyond that he paused. A house this old had to have creaky stairs, and Yuri wasn’t sure if he should try to move slowly up them or dash to the door and keep his gun ready? Who was he kidding- Yuri had never been one for subtlety, and he wasn’t going to start now. This was the time for the tried and true Plisetsky smash, he’d get up the stairs and through the door before Yuuri even knew what was happening. 

Yuri launched himself towards the entrance, stairs creaking loudly as he shoved himself into the door. The wood was old, and buckled under the pressure, crashing inwards with a loud bang as both the door and policeman fell to the floor. If Yuri hadn’t alerted anyone before this, he certainly had now. Yuri pulled himself up, dusting his shirt off before looking around, trying to get his bearings. 

Maybe if the sound of the door hadn’t been ringing in his ears he’d have heard the steps behind him, maybe if he hadn’t been as tired he could have reacted quickly enough to put some sort of protection between him and the knife bearing down on him, but all thoughts of what could have been are pushed from Yuri’s mind as the knife sinks into the back of his neck, long blade sliding out the front of his throat. 

Yuri let out an obscene gurgling noise, sinking to the floor, followed by Yuuri, the Japanese man cooed softly in the detective’s ear as he eased him lower and lower. “I know Yura, it hurts so bad. Just relax, I promise it will be over soon.” The last thing Yuri saw before the darkness overtook him was Victor. He’d failed him, he’d failed Chris, he’d failed his family, and his parents probably wouldn’t be able to hold a proper funeral once Yuuri was done with the body. A tear fell out of Yuri’s eye as he left the world, cradled tightly in Yuuri’s arms. 

“You knew him?” Yuuri looked up at Victor, cocking his head.

“Y-yeah, or I used to at least.” Victor smiled weakly, feeling sick for a reason he couldn’t quite place. This man didn’t matter to him, he had to remind himself, he isn’t Yuuri, so he doesn’t matter, can’t matter. “He was my partner.” 

“He was a police officer?” Yuuri raised an eyebrow, worry clear in his voice.

“Yeah, he was.” Victor felt blank as he spoke, eyes still locked on the corpse. 

“Fuck- fuck fuck fuck. Victor you don’t understand, I can’t kill cops, they won’t let me off of that!” Yuuri spoke quickly, dropping the body and pacing around the room. “It’s okay, it’s okay we’ll figure this out- he broke in here, that helps.”

“We can hide the other corpses well enough, I know what investigators look for.” Victor spoke, voice even, devoid of emotion. 

“Yeah, that could help, but they’ll still arrest me, won’t they?” Yuuri looked over towards Victor, eyes widening with anxiety. “If I get arrested I lose everything, and m-my family, they’ll never forgive me.” Yuuri sobbed, and Victor walked slowly over, pulling him into a hug. 

“I’ll be okay, we’ll find some way, I know it.” Victor held Yuuri close, allowing him to sob into his chest until the noise subsided. “We need to clean up.” Victor stated, pulling his coat on. “I’ll bury him out back, you’re better with blood.” Yuuri nodded at that, and the two went their separate ways, Victor pulling Yuri’s corpse into his arms. 

The dirt was cold, frozen hard and almost impossible to dig, but that was fine by Victor. He focussed on the task and the burn of his muscles, and tried his best not to feel the blank stare of his former colleague. He hadn’t wanted Yuri dead, but if they hadn’t taken care of him then he’d have raised all kinds of fuss about what was in the house. Victor knew that the lifestyle he shared with Yuuri was unconventional, but it made both of them happy, and he wished that others would see that eventually. 

He’d take the blame for the death, he could say he got jealous and turn himself in. Yuuri’s connections would get him a light sentence, and he’d be able to be back with his Yuuri in a year or two if he was lucky. A smile filled Victor’s face as he began to work. This would all work out with time, and there was no force on this earth that could keep him and Yuuri away from each other for long.

A few hours later and Victor had finally covered Yuri with enough dirt and quicklime to ensure that no curious dogs or investigators dug him up, and the snow that was coming down would certainly help hide the grave. Victor smiled, watching the flakes slowly pile up on top of the rough grave. Yuri would want this, Victor thought, he always did love snow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for reading! Let me know what you thought of the ending!


End file.
